Candied Apples and Bubblegum
by EttyUlrik
Summary: Marceline Abadeer and Bonnibel Brinly are both new students in their junior year of high school. Together, they learn to navigate through nasty rumors and nastier truths. Slow burn, please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! After years of being an avid Bubbline shipper, I decided it was time to go ahead and write a high school AU of my own. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **While I published the first few chapters to this story a few days ago, I revised it so that it flowed more smoothly. One of these revisions was completely replacing chapter 5. For those of you who read it- I'm sorry, please consider it a spoiler! It'll return in a few chapters, I promise.**

 **Please tell me what you think! I love hearing from you all :) cheers!**

Candied Apples and Bubblegum

Marceline was not pleased to be awoken so violently by the incessant beeping of her alarm. She reached for her phone, knocking it under her bed. Angrily she flew out of bed and pawed around the piles of clothes she'd shoved there before, finally grabbing it to shut it off.

Marceline sighed, running her fingers through her black mane of matted hair as she contemplated her options. She could go back to bed for another fifteen minutes, or she could take advantage of being up on time and shower in order to actually look presentable for her first day of school. She looked out the window, seeing only the first rays of sunlight beginning to shine through the blinds. It was stupid early.

Huffing, Marceline reset her alarm and fell face-first into the bed sheets, keeping her phone within reach this time so she wouldn't have to go fishing under her bed again. Just fifteen more minutes.

There was a soft beeping nearby. Or was it soft because it was far away? Marceline blinked away the remnants of her dreamscape to be hit square in the face by a ray of sunlight, and she realized in a moment of panic that the muted beeping was coming from her phone which she'd stuffed under her pillows as she slept. She fumbled with it, all but flying out of bed when she saw the time.

Of course she'd overslept. It was officially ten minutes before first period, and Marceline was rushing about her room gathering her things. She shoved a notebook, pen, and pencil into her tattered red messenger bag, then hurried to get dressed. She quickly pulled on her favorite ripped jeans, a tank top, and red flannel before stopping to slide on her black leather boots, stuffing the laces inside her shoe unceremoniously, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and running outside.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…

It was cold. She should have brought a jacket. She climbed into her car and gunned it, hoping to make it to school before her tardy earned her a call to her dad. One of those on the first day would be deadly.

—

"Bonnibel...Brinly?"

"Sorry I'm late!"

Bonnibel's hand paused in its ascent as she turned to the doorway to see a very disheveled girl run in and take a seat in the back of the room. She shook her head, perplexed as to how someone could be irresponsible enough to arrive late on the first day of school. The homeroom teacher, a small, round woman with a drawling accent, pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and looked over the roster.

"Would you by chance be miss Marceline Abadee-ah?" She asked, tapping her clipboard with a pencil she'd kept tucked behind her ear.

"Abadeer. That's me." The girl, Marceline, leaned her chair back and propped her feet up on the table, avoiding eye contact with the teacher. Bonnibel thought she looked foolish, and bit back her anger at seeing the girl's muddied shoes soil the table. Delinquent.

"Well, Miss Abadee-ah, here in this class we follow a seating chart. And seeing as it goes in alphabetical order, well you're sitting next to Miss Brinly here at the front." The teacher pointed to the table Bonnibel sat at. Bonnie had wasted no time in filling the empty spot beside her with her study materials, and the sudden loss of space irritated her. She glared at Marceline as she slid her supplies back into her backpack, but Marceline didn't even spare her a glance.

The dark girl shrugged one shoulder, pulling her bag noisily behind her as she made her way to the front of the room to flop down into the empty seat beside Bonnibel. Immediately she took out her phone and began scrolling through it. What kind of student had Bonnibel been stuck with as a desk mate? She gave the girl a once-over, noticing immediately the greasiness of her unwashed, unbrushed hair and the wrinkles in her unbuttoned shirt. Her jeans were torn, her boots were scuffed, and her bookbag- if it could be called that, for it completely lacked books- was covered in pins and patches drawn in sharpie.

Bonnibel procured a notebook from her own bag and set it on the desk, moving forward to arrange her pencil case at the head of the desk to distract from her gaze wandering towards the phone cradled in the delinquent's- in Marceline's, she corrected herself- lap. The telltale blue and green bubbles meant she was texting someone. Shaking her head slightly, Bonnibel went over the literature notes from last semester, determined to be ready for her first period.

She didn't notice that as soon as she got to work, Marceline began scoping her out in return. She scowled at Bonnibel's taste in fashion palette- a pink fitted sweatshirt, lavender skinny jeans, and pink ballerina flats. She watched as Bonnibel twisted a lock of strawberry blonde hair through her fingers, completely engrossed in what seemed to be notes. From a class. How was it even possible to take notes in the year's first homeroom session?

Marceline looked closer and recognized a few author's names on the page Bonnibel was reading. They sounded familiar, like something she'd studied the year before at her old school, and she wondered if Bonnibel could be reading notes from the previous semester. She chuckled quietly. What a nerd.

The homeroom teacher spoke for what felt like forever. Her speech was slow and she dragged out her words, taking twice as long as necessary to say what she needed to. She'd introduced herself as Mrs. Almasy, going on a long tangent about the origin of her name and her inherited passion for apples. After being politely reminded of the time by goody-two-shoes Brinly, she revealed that the following week, each pair of students sitting at a table would be required to complete a project together to encourage civility, and immediately Bonnibel and Marceline scowled at each other in displeasure.

The bell rang at this opportune moment, and the students shuffled out of Mrs. Almasy's room as quickly as they could in order to avoid having to hear her speak any longer. Marceline swooshed out of the room in an instant, leaving Bonnibel to gather her things and arrange them in her bookbag in peace.


	2. Chapter 2

"It can't be…" To say Bonnibel was upset to see Marceline slink into her literature class would be an understatement. She'd been looking forward to this class all summer, excited to have educated discussions about her favorite readings with enthusiastic peers, and instead, she was sure she'd be stuck with Marceline as a partner again thanks to their last names. A small part of her still hoped it wouldn't be the case.

The teacher walked in not two minutes later. He was a small, pale man, bearded to a point that made him look much older than he was. He fiddled constantly with a yellow and red woven band around his wrist, and Bonnibel could swear his glasses hadn't been cleaned in years.

"Good morning, class. My name is Simon Petrikov. You may call me Mr. Petrikov, or Professor Petrikov, or simply sir. Any will suffice." He searched through a large stack of papers and took a single sheet from the bunch, slipping it onto the scuffed face of an outdated slide projector.

"Please observe this seating arrangement and fix yourselves accordingly. We will begin our first class with ice breakers. The person sitting next to you will be your partner for the rest of the year, and those in tables near you will be your group mates for the bigger projects."

Bonnibel groaned when she saw the class had been arranged by last name again, and she huffed audibly when Marceline slipped into the seat next to her.

"I want you to ask your partner their favorite color, if they have any siblings, what their favorite piece of literature is, and then I want you make up a question of your own. Then join up with a table near you and exchange answers. Please begin." The teacher sat at his desk then, arranging papers as the class erupted in lively talking. Of course everyone knew each other already.

Bonnibel turned to find Marceline taking her phone out of her pocket to text again, but before she could even unlock it, Bonnibel growled.

"Phones aren't allowed in class."

Marceline looked over at the girl next to her to make sure the voice she heard hadn't been imagined. The little blonde girl glowered at her angrily, pointing a mechanical pencil topped with a tiny yellow crown right at her nose.

"What?" Marceline sputtered out a laugh, turning in her chair to look over the girl better. "Did you say something, princess?" She shoved the pencil out of her face, glaring down at Bonnibel with a little more contempt.

"Phones aren't allowed in class." Bonnibel hissed, turning her attention back to her notebook. "This is a professional learning environment and it should be treated as such. If you're on your phone, you'll just waste my time during discussions, and I definitely don't intend to carry your weight in group projects! So turn. Off. Your. PHONE!"

Bonnibel whipped around to look at her desk mate again, but Marceline only frowned slightly before shrugging and slipping her phone into her pocket. She pulled out her notebook and began to doodle aimlessly. It was better than texting, Bonnibel supposed.

"What's your favorite color?"

"I don't like you."

Bonnibel sighed, tapping her pencil against the desk in annoyance. "That's not a color, Marceline."

"My favorite color is the color of that chair when it's empty of your bossy ass." Marceline growled, resting her chin on her fist. "I don't like you."

"Noted." Bonnibel said, clicking her pencil a few times. "So your favorite color is red. Mine is lavender, you should write that down. Do you have any siblings?"

Marceline was aghast. The little nerd ignored her. She huffed, supposing that cooperating would get her closer to peace fastest. She hardly spared Bonnibel a glance as she admitted she had an older brother. Bonnibel hummed.

"I have a younger brother." Bonnibel said lightly, taking down their answers on what looked to be Cornell note format. "Favorite piece of literature."

"Paper Towns." Marceline had said it without thinking, kicking herself after the fact and turning away from Bonnibel before she could see the blush spread over her dark skin. Bonnibel said nothing as she wrote it down, simply adding that she enjoyed Virginia Woolf's works for the way they lent themselves to be analyzed. Marceline said nothing.

"Who has been your favorite teacher at this school?" Bonnibel asked, and Marceline shrugged, sprawling herself over the desk.

"I just moved here. Don't have one." Bonnibel's head shot up immediately, smiling slightly.

"I just moved to this school, too. But I only changed districts, I've lived in this town all my life. It's nice I'm not the only new kid."

It was the closest thing to civility she had offered Marceline, and yet, the first thing that escaped her lips was "Wow, princess, it's like we're the same person!" Marceline chuckled loudly and looked out the window, tucking her frown into her palm. Bonnibel noted the length of the hair, and her fingers itched to detangle it. She fiddled with her pencil instead.

"Where are you from, then?"

Marceline took a second before answering, laying her head down on the table again. Her voice was soft when she spoke. "Nerezza. It's a small part of the city, not too far away, on the edge by the water." She paused before adding "My family has lived there all my life."

Bonnibel nodded, putting down her notebook. "We've got all the answers we need. Now we have to find a group to join." She looked around the room, but turned back when she heard Marceline shuffling as she sat up.

Marceline was tired of all the talking. She raised her hand to catch the teacher's attention.

"Simon, I don't feel well. I'm going to the nurse's office."

To Bonnibel's surprise, the teacher only nodded, and Marceline tossed her bag over her shoulder and looked down at Bonnibel. She tugged Bonnibel's pencil out of her grasp and wrote her own name above Bonnibel's in surprisingly legible handwriting, then dropped it loudly on the desk. Before she could protest, Marceline spoke.

"You have my answers. Choose any group you want, princess." She waggled her fingers and smiled venomously, turning on her heel and striding towards the door.

With that, she was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Bonnibel watched her leave in mild surprise, but accepted her fate and moved to find a group. It seemed everyone had teamed up with their friends already, but closer to the center of the room was a table occupied by only a boy and a girl who seemed to be pretty friendly with each other already from the looks of their conversation.

The boy was sandy haired and freckled, built like a short football player, whereas the girl was petite but very tall. Her hair was dyed an unnatural blonde color, and she wore several layers of colorful clothing that somehow harmonized rather than clashed. Bonnibel was surprised to hear them speak Korean to each other as she approached, and she was excited to become part of the group.

"Annyeonghaseyo!" Bonnibel's enthusiasm was met with friendly smiles, but the girl couldn't hold back a small laugh before returning the greeting. Bonnibel beamed.

"My name is Bonnibel Brinly. My partner went to the nurse's office because she felt sick, but I have her answers. Would it be ok if we joined your group?"

The girl replied her approval animatedly in Korean, and Bonnibel smiled happily before replying in turn. The boy's eyebrow's shot up.

"You speak! And here I thought you got your hello from a Korean drama or something. That's pretty good!" His voice was loud but warm, happily inviting. Bonnibel's smile grew sincere.

"I don't speak much, but I did dabble a bit. Mostly I took German."

The boy nodded, resting his hand on the girl's. "I see, I see! Welcome to our group! You'll get in lots of practice speaking here." He motioned back to the girl. "This is Myung Hee, but you can call her Lady, because she's one foxy lady." He waggled his eyebrows at Bonnibel, and she couldn't suppress her laugh when Lady slapped him lightly across the arm. He grinned happily at her before continuing.

"Lady moved here from Korea late last year, and since I was taking Korean lessons, I was set up to guide her around the school." The boy peered at Lady, stroking her hand softly. "From there, it's history. We're in love." Lady laughed lightly.

"I wouldn't say he was charming, but he charmed me, anyway." She sighed, shooing away his hand. "This is Jake, Jake Mertens. He is a little color blind but he likes tan. He has a little brother, Finn. And he likes reading manhua, too many to list." Lady giggled lightly when Jake sighed at her answer, placing his head on the table.

"Graphic novels, Lady, they're totally literary. My favorite right now is Persepolis." He straightened himself out, sighing. "Lady likes rainbows, and she's an only child. She likes romance novels, too many to list. The easiest fourth question is 'where are you from,' so obviously Lady is from Korea, and I grew up here in Oo. What about you?"

After furiously writing out all the answers, Bonnibel held her paper out to the others.

"Here. It's easier to just copy the answers since my partner isn't present."

Jake took the paper and started to copy it, but stopped suddenly when he reached Marceline's side. A strange noise bubbled in his throat.

"Abadeer is at this school?" Jake paused in writing out the answers, staring at Bonnibel in shock.

"What's wrong with that?.." Bonnibel wondered aloud. Still, in the back of her head, the word delinquent floated accusingly. Jake remained silent a moment, and the two continued to write out their answers before he spoke again.

"Marceline...has a bit of a reputation. You wrote here that she grew up in Nerezza which is interesting, cuz she went to boarding school in the next town over. Word got around that she was mixed up with the local gang here in Oo during middle school and well into the first few years of high school, so she was kicked out of school last year. I always thought she'd end up in a correctional facility."

Bonnibel stood in shocked silence for a minute before tentatively asking "what did she do, exactly?"

Jake scratched his head, sighing. "I don't really know for sure, but I hear she and her boyfriend stole a bunch of stuff from a clothing store and vandalized someone's car. After they got caught and released, the store had its windows smashed in, so naturally they were the first suspects. I think that's what got her kicked out of boarding school. Must have sucked for her dad, that place is expensive. But word is her dad gets a lot of money working overseas so Marceline could always afford to screw around."

Bonnibel sighed. "Her poor mother."

Jake shook his head. "Her mother passed away in a freak accident when we were all pretty young. I don't remember the details, but it was within city limits, so it was in the papers for months and it was all anyone talked about. It's part of the reason Marceline is so well known. People say she's thrashing the memory of her mother with all her awful behavior." He leaned back in his chair. "The lady was a saint. Worked for the hospital."

"Who does she live with, then?" Bonnibel refused to believe that a minor could live on her own. "Is her brother around?" Jake shrugged.

"I only know bits and pieces, Bonnibel. I have no idea. But all I've heard is she's bad news. Hopefully none of that gets dragged into class."

Bonnibel nodded in agreement, but her thoughts lay elsewhere. The rest of the class passed in a daze, and when Bonnibel went to her next period, she was relieved to find that Marceline was not in her class. After another class without her, however, her heart fluttered with something that resembled anxiety. Bonnibel pushed it down, blaming the emotion on curiosity.

After an unceremonious cafeteria lunch, Bonnibel went to another two classes sans Marceline, and she found herself working harder to swallow down her disappointment. When she had given up hope, she walked into her last period- her required elective, music- and was almost thrilled to see Marceline sitting cross-legged on a table, tuning what looked like a long guitar. Without even thinking about it, Bonnibel walked up to her and tapped her shoulder gently.

Marceline's steely gaze broke whatever image of friendliness Bonnibel's mind had woven together of this girl. She found herself the subject of Marceline's scrutinizing gaze, and she swallowed shakily before addressing her.

"Hey. Are you feeling better?"

Marceline gave her a another once over before whispering "stalker" loud enough that the other girl could hear her. Bonnibel laughed at that, relieved at what she perceived to be playfulness, and Marceline raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you feeling better?" Bonnibel asked again, and Marceline sighed in annoyance.

"I'm fine. I spent a few periods hiding out in the nurse's office. Why, have you got some math homework to give me from fourth or something?" Bonnibel could hear the apprehension in her voice. She supposed it would be difficult for anyone in Marceline's situation to just be friendly. Thinking over what Marceline said though, Bonnibel was surprised.

"How did you know I had math fourth period?"

Marceline froze, avoiding eye contact. "I saw your name on the roster when the nurse pulled it up to mark me present."

Bonnibel nodded. That must have been why the teacher didn't call Marceline's name during attendance. She grinned.

"We've got quite a few classes together."

"Thank you for the summation, captain obvious." Marceline groaned, rolling her eyes before going back to tuning the instrument. Bonnibel moved closer, peering over Marceline's shoulder.

"That's a nice guitar." Bonnibel said quietly. Marceline's head fell back with another groan.

"Look, I'm not in much of a mood to talk right now, sweetie. And also, this is a bass, brainiac, not a guitar." She thrummed one of the strings with her thumb, and Bonnibel could feel it's deep sound in her fingertips. Marceline frowned at her. "Now, quit bothering me. Class is starting soon and I need to get her tuned up." She motioned to the dark red bass, turning her back to Bonnibel.

After a few quiet seconds, Marceline continued her strumming at the bass, and Bonnibel deflated a bit from being rejected. Still, she had to admit she was impressed to see Marceline so serious about a class when she'd been so disinterested in school before.

Bonnibel pulled out a chair near Marceline and took out her notebook, earning herself another displeased growl from the girl, who muttered quietly to herself as she fussed with the bass. When she didn't tell her to leave, Bonnibel smiled to herself and turned her attention instead to writing down what Jake had shared with her earlier, adding a few footnotes of her own to the bottom of the description. 'Playfully snarky. Easily annoyed. Tardy. A little brusque, and perhaps childish.'

She looked over at Marceline who had started playing a quiet tune on the bass, eyes closed and smiling slightly.

'Pretty smile. Good at music.'


	4. Chapter 4

On the second day of school, the teacher provided every student pair a few choice recyclables, some aquatic plants, a fishbowl, and a betta. They'd been instructed to construct a habitat for their communal table pets, and before Marceline could even set eyes on the fish, Bonnibel went to work designing a primitive aquaponics system. It annoyed her slightly that Mrs. Almasy's idea of an ice breaker was so damaging to the little fish, but she was confident she could better its living conditions, even without Marceline's help caring for it.

Saying Marceline had any desire to help at all would be a stretch. As the rest of the class worried about aesthetics and naming their fish, Bonnibel enthusiastically explained the mechanics of her experiment to Marceline who, for the most part, actively ignored the assignment. After she'd grown tired of watching the fish swim circles in its tiny cup, she went back to her phone. Now and then she lent a hand here and there, but it didn't take Bonnibel long to notice that her small bouts of helpfulness happened whenever the teacher was around. The rest of the time, she sat at the desk beside Bonnibel and watched her phone.

Bonnibel was at the very least displeased with Marceline's lack of enthusiasm, but the emotion vanished once she allowed herself to become absorbed in her work.

A week later, Bonnibel's excitement was beginning to fade into a pleased acceptance of the everyday monotony. She'd already developed a routine, even. First thing in the morning the days that followed, Bonnibel checked on the mini ecosystem she'd built, making adjustments as she saw necessary. It was obvious their fish's environment was the cleanest, and she observed with quiet pride that her charge was beginning to flourish.

Marceline's one job was to feed the fish, dubbed Science by Bonnibel. There was something curious in the way Marceline walked up to the fishbowl distractedly, making it a point to seem bothered by the task only to count out exactly eight pellets of food and drop them carefully into the fishbowl.

One particular day, Bonnibel had been summoned to the office to take care of delayed transfer papers. When she walked in, Marceline was sitting on a stool by the fishtank, dropping tiny pieces of something into the water.

"What are you doing?"

"FUCK-" Marceline dropped whatever she had been holding above the water into the tank, and Science attacked it mercilessly. Bonnibel moved closer.

"Are you feeding him...chicken?"

Marceline tucked a sandwich into her jacket pocket, grumbling under her breath. She pushed past Bonnibel angrily, slumping at their shared desk without offering any sort of explanation. Bonnibel simply smiled in her direction. She figured it was impossible for anyone to hate a pet. Still...

"The negatives far outweigh the positives." Bonnibel grouched, tapping her fingertips against her keyboard. She'd grown tired of trying to make sense of the dots and lines written on the sheet music her teacher had given her, and she decided a break was well deserved. She watched Marceline sitting alone on the other side of the room, strumming that bass of hers quietly enough that little could be heard above the other students' murmurs. She must have been good at playing it if even the teacher let her do her own thing.

Bonnibel was growing impatient with Marceline.

She reflected on the week she'd spent trying to teach Marceline to be a model student. She taught Marceline by example. and looking back on the results, Bonnibel decided that Marceline was a horrible student. Marceline had never outwardly done anything awful; she took good care of Science, and she wasn't destructive or mean. Still, her loneliness bothered Bonnibel to no end.

The little things that set Marceline aside from her classmates were the things Bonnibel found unforgivable. She insisted on using her phone during lecture. She added her name to assignments when she'd only contributed a few measly grunts to the discussion. In these instances, Bonnibel always made sure the pen Marceline signed in was a different color than the rest of the groups' work. She hoped this would tip the teacher off to who'd actually done the assignment.

While Bonnibel wanted to feel offended by Marceline's obvious lack of interest in every class they shared, it was obvious that Marceline pushed everyone away. Bonnibel went over her prime examples in her head.

At lunch one day, a student offered Marceline a seat as she passed by, but she ignored them, preferring to eat alone outside instead. She only spoke to her teachers to back talk, and she took long trips to the bathroom that often lasted more than half a class period. She'd gone home early twice already, and hardly did more than what was required of her homework.

More personally offensive, Marceline had barely spared Bonnibel a glance when they weren't near Science's habitat. Despite how snarky she'd been the first day of school, Marceline had grown quiet. Watching Marceline openly ignore her surroundings, Bonnibel was losing her desire to knock down the ice queen's walls. Let her fail high school, she thought to herself. She wondered what had made her feel obligated to help in the first place.

Looking through her Marceline notes alongside Jake and Lady one day at lunch, Bonnibel announced her findings.

"Ok. So we've been in school for a whole two weeks now. We've submitted five assignments in literature alone, and countless others in math, physics, and social studies. Marceline hasn't. We have a group project coming up, and I'm wondering if we should tell Petrikov we want her out."

Jake lay on the table, groaning. Lady patted his hair reassuringly, but even she rolled her eyes at Bonnibel's suggestion.

"Bonnie, you've been going on and on about Marceline for days. I'm surprised you've found so many ways to tell us she does nothing! All the time! And I'm even more surprised you're considering snitching on her even though keeping her around will most likely lead to nothing." Jake took a bite of his sandwich, talking around a mouthful of bologna when he continued.

"Don't you think we know our group is fine without Marceline's input? There's always someone who drags their feet through a class, and especially through group work. I just wasn't lucky enough to be that person this year."

Lady laughed a bit at her boyfriend, pulling lightly at his ears before turning her attention to her own lunch. She eyed Bonnibel curiously.

"You are the only person I know who would spend so much time worrying so much about someone who isn't even their friend. What would be the point of being mean to Marceline? That doesn't sound like you." She took a dainty bite of a biscuit, offering the packet to Bonnibel. She took one, sucking on it tentatively.

"I dunno. I don't really understand how unmotivated she can be. And it's even more perplexing that someone could be so bitter all the time, being surrounded by such friendly people."

Bonnibel shrugged, trying to be less uptight. When had finding a way to make Marceline more productive become so antagonistic? She pushed the thought out of her mind, telling herself she didn't care, either way. "I guess I kind of want to figure out what her damage is."

Jake snorted, pointing a cookie at her as he spoke. "Y'see, you're just looking into it too deep. Marceline Abadeer is just that: damaged! Easy as pie." He slurped loudly from his milk carton. "Some people just don't like other people. There's nothing mysterious about it, Bon. And if you look at it that way, of course she wouldn't be interested in working with us, no matter how nice we are to her. If we suddenly turn on her now, though, I don't think it would go well for us in the long run."

Bonnibel nodded tentatively.

"Seeing you take so many notes about her in that notebook was a little scary. Promise me you will not create a profile of us, ok?" Lady's smile was sincere, and Bonnibel couldn't help but flush in embarrassment.

"I wouldn't, Lady. It was a stupid thing to do." She shoved the notebook into her bag, telling herself she'd leave it at home from now on.

Jake shook his head. "Weird, yes. Stupid, nah. Your big sciencey brain just has to have all the evidence laid out before it can draw a conclusion. Nothing wrong with that. I'll sum it up for you- a little lab report: we shouldn't pester Marceline. It'll get us nowhere. The three of us will do just fine on our project, and if she fails, it's her problem."

Lady nodded knowingly, but no matter how hard Bonnibel tried to swallow down that seemingly simple truth, she felt uneasy.


	5. Chapter 5

"So I was thinking: instead of just explaining the scene to the rest of the class, a few of us could act it out, and we could have someone on the side acting like a interpretor. We could make it a little funny, even."

Jake's eyes gleamed, and Bonnibel had to admit his enthusiasm was infectious. He was more on the table than in his seat, pushing himself up and down with the balls of his feet. Lady braided his shirt mop of hair, humming happily. Marceline...texted. With a sigh, Bonnibel read through the first few pages of their assigned scene from Hamlet, nodding in time with Jake's bouncing.

"It can be interpreted to be a pretty dramatic scene. Marceline can play Hamlet. He's so broody in scene 2."

It was an attempt for playfulness, but Marceline didn't take the bait. At the sound of her name she turned to the other three, shrugging.

"I'll read whatever you want me to." With that, she returned her attention to her phone. Bonnibel sighed.

"Ok. Let's split up the work, then. Jake, you take these passages here. Lady, you can take this section, and I'll do this last part. My guess is we're aiming between funny and informational, so let's keep it simple and just modernize the speech a little."

Jake saluted Bonnibel, turning his book towards her. "Please highlight said parts and I'll get right on it, m'am!"

Bonnibel giggled, highlighting the passages in her friends' books. When they were arranged, they returned to their seats and got to work, leaving Bonnibel alone with Marceline once again.

It wasn't that Bonnibel dreaded this time alone with the girl, or that she felt overwhelmed with giving her her task within the group. It was just so awkward. Silence, scowls, grunts, eye rolls- they were all Marceline offered Bonnibel, and they all said the same thing: piss off.

Bonnibel took a breath, steadying herself before turning in her chair to face Marceline.

"Hey."

"Hm?" Marceline didn't even spare her a glance. Bonnibel cleared her throat, preparing herself to keep going with her request.

"So we're doing the interpretation bit now. We're hoping to have it all memorized by the time we have to present it on Monday.

"Mm." Bonnibel watched Marceline's fingers as she typed. How did they move so fast?

"I was kidding before, but it would be really helpful if you could memorize Hamlet's lines."

Marceline's texting paused. "Come again?"

"These parts, right here. I drew stars next to them in your book. It's not much, we're only interpreting a small part of the scene. You don't have to really act if you don't want to. I think Jake might, but just memorizing them would-"

"Simon never said we had to have the part memorized."

Bonnibel blanched, opening and closing her mouth a few times, trying to find the right words.

"Well, no, he didn't. But we figured it might be a little more professional if we-"

"There's no point in doing more work if it's not going to take you any further."

Bonnibel didn't appreciate being interrupted twice, but Marceline's words felt deeper to her than perhaps they should have. She considered agreeing and dropping the topic- after all, Marceline was right when she said the extra effort would not gain them any points, but Bonnibel was Bonnibel, and before she could register what she was doing, she heard herself speaking.

"I personally think that going the extra mile says a lot about a person. It shows that they're not lazy, and people who strive to do better than others end up being so in the long run."

Marceline stared at her, a small grin pulling the side of her mouth up.

"You think putting a bow on top of everything you do will get you enough extra attention that people will think you're special for it?"

"That's how it usually works, yes. You make a name for yourself, and people remember you and push you forward. It's just the way of the world."

Marceline laughed then. It was a quick, shrill thing, and Bonnibel barely registered when Marceline scooted forward close enough that they were almost nose to nose.

"That's bullshit." She ran her fingers through her hair, combing out the gnarls roughly as she considered Bonnibel through her eyelashes. Her gaze was so unsettling Bonnibel felt like she was peering into her very soul. She crossed her arms, scowling.

"And why do you think so?"

Marceline huffed. "No one will push you forward for crossing your t's and dotting your i's. Especially in places like this. You think people like Simon have power over what will get handed to you in the future? Because if you do, you're stupider than you look." Marceline leaned her chair back, balancing precariously on the back legs.

"We were asked to read a passage to the class and explain it. Little things like memorizing lines for a presentation that isn't even required- that's not going the extra mile. That's not diligence. It's showing off, calling attention to yourself. And maybe to you it's important to 'make a good impression' that way and get everyone to look at you and remember your name, but for me- I'm not down for it. I won't get docked if I don't do it, so I won't."

A million things popped into Bonnibel's mind in that instant. She felt angry at how irresponsible, inconsiderate, and selfish Marceline was being. She wanted to yell it at her, to make her understand that diligence got results, and that being recognized and raising people's expectations only stimulated growth. She wanted to badly to tell her that she was wrong.

But she didn't.

Bonnibel only offered a small nod, and Marceline returned her attention to her neglected phone. The frustration pounding in her temples began to subside, and she took steady breaths, twirling her pen to distract herself from all the things she could say to tear into Marceline. After a few moments, she trusted herself enough to speak.

"Fine. Read it if you wish. But if you're going to do that, then you have to write your own interpretation for it, as well."

Marceline's eyes widened a bit at being told what to do, but she didn't offer up another argument as Bonnibel wrote instructions in the margin of her book. When the bell finally rang, Bonnibel was relieved to get a few minutes away from Marceline, and when Marceline didn't show up for their next class, Bonnibel worked hard to convince herself that she didn't care.


	6. Chapter 6

The weekend went by much too quickly for Bonnibel's liking. She would have liked another day to rehearse her lines for literature, and another two to review her trigonometry. Three for physics, five for social studies, and an eternity to make sense of the treble clef and the music it dictated.

As soon as she walked into homeroom, things were not looking good. Science blipped his tiny mouth at the top of his fishbowl, nibbling at the roots of the plants Bonnibel had balanced on top. Marceline's seat was empty. She didn't want to keep the fish waiting after a weekend spent foodless, so she sprinkled in a generous helping of pellets before moving to her desk. Perhaps Marceline had gone to the restroom and not made it back in time to feed Science before Bonnibel arrived.

She put her backpack down just as the bell rang, walking up to Mrs. Almasy's desk and signing the attendance sheet. The spot beside Abadeer was empty. She hadn't been here yet. Panic began to set in Bonnibel's fingertips. As Mrs. Almasy went on and on about the morning announcements, Bonnibel's eyes remained glued to the door. The bell finally rang after fifteen long minutes, and Bonnibel shuffled to her first period, hoping to run into Marceline on the way just to make sure she'd actually made it to school that day.

She didn't catch a single glimpse of the girl.

First period social studies went too quickly and not quickly enough for Bonnibel at the same time. She was certain Marceline decided to skip school that day, and it took all her strength not to jump immediately to anger. Instead, Bonnibel hurriedly looked over Marceline's portion of the scene, writing out a quick interpretation. If worse came to worst, at least her group of three could recover.

She ran into Lady on the way to literature, and she clung on to her arm for support. Lady stroked her hair, concerned.

"Bonnie, what's the matter? Are you feeling sick? Does the play make you nervous?"

Lady's gentle fingertips ran along Bonnibel's face, stroking the hair out of her eyes and rubbing deep circles into her temples. Bonnibel leaned into her touch, navigating clumsily to the classroom but unwilling to let go of her friend.

"It's awful, Lady. Marceline is absent. I wrote up an interpretation we can read for her part, but the quality of it isn't very good."

"Marceline flaked?" It was Jake that spoke, walking on Lady's other side but peering over at Bonnibel. She nodded gravely.

"I can't say I'm surprised, but I'm still upset."

Jake shook his head, a tight smile pulling at his lips. "Same. But like I said, the three of us do just fine without Marceline. We'll be able to pull it off without her."

"But she is right there."

The three had made it to the classroom, and at Lady's small exclamation, Bonnibel pulled away from her soft grasp to see for herself if it was true.

Sure enough, slouching at her desk was Marceline, resting her chin on her palm and looking out the window. She had a loose black beanie pulled down around her ears, but Bonnibel could see the white headphone wires threading through her hair. She tweaked the ends of her sleeves, and Bonnibel wondered if she was nervous. Still, she felt a wave of relief hit her just from knowing Marceline was there.

The bell rang, and Simon clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Ten minutes to get into your reading groups. We'll take it from the top and move our way through the play. Ten minutes!" He sat at his desk, shuffling through papers as usual.

Bonnibel walked to her desk, setting her things down quietly before reaching out to tap Marceline on the shoulder. The girl jumped, glancing at Bonnibel, but otherwise she didn't react.

"No cursing this time?" Bonnibel chuckled. "Sorry I surprised you."

Marceline hummed to indicate she'd heard her, waving her hand before dropping it back to the table.

"Did you memorize your lines?" Bonnibel was expecting a bite back, or some kind of snark, but instead Marceline gave a single nod. It was still enough to shock Bonnibel.

"You did? Really? That's great!" Bonnibel went to collecting their few props, then- a Burger King crown, parchment, a cardboard sword, and a plastic princess tiara. She held the latter out to Marceline, speaking animatedly about last minute cues, but she paused when she saw the other girl's face.

Marceline's eyes were red, her eyelids swollen and puffy. When she caught Bonnibel looking at her, she turned away, feigning a cough.

"Marceline, are you alright?"

"Fine. I didn't sleep well." She lay her head on the table then, hiding her face in the crook of her arm.

Bonnibel leaned in closer so the others couldn't hear her.

"Have you been crying?"

Marceline sighed deeply in annoyance, but her voice was small when she did speak. "I told you, Princess, I had a long night. Don't you worry your pretty head."

"You're a bad liar."

"You're bad at taking hints." She straightened out then, stretching for effect. "You focus on doing this Hamlet thing. I'll cooperate for a few minutes, and we'll be done, and I'll be out of your hair. Sound good? Let's shake on it." Marceline held out her hand, grinning, but to Bonnibel, her smile seemed forced.

"Marceline…"

Marceline almost growled, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"Look, you wanted me to memorize the lines, so I did. If I forget a few, you guys will still get full marks, and you'll get your little moment in the spotlight. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Bonnibel wasn't sure. Something bothered her. She looked over Marceline. She couldn't meet Bonnibel's gaze, and while her forced smile would probably work to convince others to back off, Bonnibel hated its insincerity. Marceline never smiled at her.

"What made you decide to memorize the lines, anyways?" Bonnibel asked, resting her chin on her hand. Marceline plucked her earphones from her ears, rolling them in her hands.

"I'm not stupid. I'd do more harm with Jake and Lady if I didn't."

"What do you mean?"

Marceline made a sound deep in her throat, caught somewhere between a laugh and a snort. She shook her head.

"Come on. Every member has to give in sometime. If I didn't cooperate, Simon would cut me out of the group. He'd probably ask you guys how much work I did, and of course you'd be more eager to sell me out if I did absolutely nothing."

Marceline is chatty when she's upset. Bonnibel looked her over again. Marceline's clothes appeared wrinkled and dirty. Her hair was unwashed, and for once, she wasn't texting. Her gaze darted around the room. She wasn't well.

"They wouldn't do that."

"Of course they would." Marceline put her head down. She really didn't want to do this, did she?

"Here." In one move, Bonnibel swiped Marceline's book from her side of the desk and deposited it into Marceline's waiting hand. "Read the lines."

Leaving Marceline with her mouth agape, Bonnibel turned to Jake and Lady then. "Change of plans. Marceline is feeling under the weather. She worked hard to memorize the lines, but I don't think it's fair to ask her to exert herself in her current state."

"What?!" She ignored Marceline's outburst. Lady and Jake were as surprised as Marceline sounded, but Bonnibel held fast, returning her props to her bag.

Jake sputtered, looking incredulous. "Bonnie, you can't be serious. We all put work into this, Bonnie. What do you mean we're reading the lines?"

Bonnibel looked sheepishly at Lady. The girl glanced back and forth between Marceline and Bonnibel, giving Bonnie a small, kind smile, turning to nod to Marceline.

"Now we know what we can pull off. you have to admit it was a little rushed, besides." She improvised then, allowing her own worries to make their way into her argument. "We never rehearsed together. It might sound disjointed, or make no sense since we all worked individually."

Lady's smile grew, and she sighed, plucking the cardboard Burger King crown from her head.

"She has a point." She patted her hair back into place. Jake pouted.

"But it was such a good idea…"

"Next time, Jake. Let's read the lines today. We'll have an even better idea next time."

"Ok…" Jake looked like a disheartened child, but a few more murmers and a kiss from Lady later, he seemed the same as ever. Bonnibel returned to her own seat.

Marceline scowled at her, but Bonnibel paid her no mind, arranging her own book and interpretation papers so that she'd be ready to read when she was called on.

"I could have recited the lines, you know." Marceline griped. "You didn't have to pin it on me. This is worse than being kicked off. Now they'll just hate me silently." Bonnibel shook her head.

"Didn't you hear me? I told them I felt unprepared."

"Among other things." Marceline griped. Bonnibel rolled her eyes.

"So maybe the main reason was it wouldn't be fair to ask you to recite when you're not feeling well. Just know, we believe you when you said you practiced. Next time, you can show us what a good job you can do."

Marceline huffed. "Playing the hero, then? Placating your friends for me because I didn't sleep well?"

Bonnibel chuckled, shaking her head.

"No. Just trying to be nice."

Marceline didn't know what else she could say. She was quiet the entire period, thinking about other things, Bonnibel was sure.

Their turn came and went, and Marceline felt unsettled the entire time they read through their scene. Jake gave Bonnibel a half hearted thumbs up, and she had to admit she was happy her new friends weren't upset.

Bonnibel leaned in to whisper to Marceline that her interpretation portion was well written. When Marceline shyly told her to shut up, her sass was met with giggles.


	7. Chapter 7

Bonnibel couldn't make sense of it. In her head, all the components fit together perfectly. Fractions. Elementary school level fractions that just looked a little different.

She spread her hands over the keyboard, plinking out a few tentative notes with her right hand, counting the whole time. The left was next. She calculated the conversion between the clefs. He past few weeks, Bonnibel had been doing her best to simplify the strange art language into math. Despite her efforts, however, she could still barely get past the second half of Lightly Row.

"It's this damned bass clef!" She took her highlighters out, carefully dotting each note with the color that corresponded with colored stickers she'd arranged on the keyboard to help her with her fingering. Then she started again, growing excited when her noise making started to resemble a melody.

"Your timing is off."

Bonnibel let out a small yell when she heard the voice behind her, and without meaning to she flung the highlighter she'd been holding clear across the room. She could hear Marceline snort behind her, and she flushed in embarrassment.

She was surprised Marceline was talking to her at all. Ever since their presentation in literature class that day, Marceline had gone back to ignoring her. Imagining that she would be trying to help her was almost unfathomable. Still, Bonnibel was more headstrong than she was caught off guard.

"It can't be off," she said confidently, going to fetch her highlighter. "I did all the counting for each measure, and wrote the length of the notes right here, above the fingering colors. See for yourself."

Marceline cocked her head at the music sheet, leaning in closer to her a better look. Her waist length hair cascaded over Bonnibel's shoulder, and she noted that even unwashed, Marceline did not smell bad. Nutty, tinged in sweat, but not unpleasantly so. Homey. She turned her head away from Marceline, not wanting to push too far into the girl's personal space.

Marceline clucked her tongue, shaking her head.

"You've ruined it." She said gravely, crossing her arms.

"I've what?" Bonnibel looked more closely at the music. Had she color coded incorrectly?

"You can't play Lightly Row like this. It's supposed to be a nostalgic piece, nice for its simplicity, gentle and upbeat. The way you wrote this out and try to follow it so precisely, no, it'll sound like a monarch sending soldiers to war." Marceline clucked her tongue again. "It looks like math homework."

Bonnibel laughed at that, shaking her head.

"I only wrote in what the book dictated." Bonnibel said, sighing. She spread her fingers over the keyboard again, trying to play from where she'd stopped earlier.

"Ah, wait, wait. We've got a problem."

Marceline leaned over Bonnibel, her body pressing up against Bonnibel's back. Her thin hands covered Bonnibel's own, and suddenly it became very hard for her to keep herself from blushing at the prolonged contact.

"Relax." Marceline said breathily, and Bonnibel's heart nearly skipped a beat.

"Excuse me?"

"Relax your hands. Keep your fingers slightly bent. You want to stroke the piano and make it sing, not poke it until it shrieks."

Marceline pressed down on Bonnibel's fingers in a simple arpeggio, and despite the exercise being so simple, it was the most beautiful piece of music Bonnibel had ever played. Her mouth fell agape, and when Marceline released her and leaned back, Bonnibel couldn't help but flex her fingers in wonder.

"Play that over and over. It'll help you loosen up a little. Once you're comfortable with it, you can try actual music again." Marceline said, sitting in a chair near Bonnibel and pulling out her phone. She plugged in her headphones, scrolling sideways. Bonnibel assumes she was looking for a song.

"Marceline, thank you.." She didn't know what else to say, or how to react. Helping her was the nicest, least Marceline-like thing the other girl had ever done for her, and Bonnibel couldn't help the warm feeling blooming in her chest. Perhaps they could be friends, after all.

"Don't mention it, nerd." Marceline looked up at her then, scowling slightly. "And I mean it. Don't mention it. I just wanted to return the favor from this morning. I...really wasn't feeling well. Thanks."

Marceline didn't meet Bonnibel's gaze, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. She pocketed her phone and made her way across the room to her usual spot, setting with her bass in her lap to play.

Bonnibel looked down at her hands on the piano. She willed herself to remember what it felt like to have the other girl's heavy hands on her own, guiding her fingers to fall at the right time. She bent them like Marceline had showed her, took a breath, and with eyes clamped shut played her way through a very slow but complete arpeggio.

The teacher, a small man with brown hair who could best be described as a hipster came by Bonnibel's seat then, clapping quietly.

"Hey, yeah! You're getting there Bonnie, keep going. Good work!"

"Thank you Mr. Ursa." Bonnibel said politely, smiling at him.

"I told you kids already, just call me Pat! All my friends do." He laughed, brushing back his hair with his fingers. Bonnibel was not eager to be on such a friendly basis with a teacher, but she nodded still, smiling thinly.

Pat offered her a thumbs up, he walked away. Bonnibel wondered what good he was as a teacher if he never gave her pointers or actual instruction, but the thought fizzled away when she saw Marceline give her an approving nod.

Somehow, that was enough to renew her faith in her musical future, and she went straight to work perfecting the arpeggio Marceline had taught her.


	8. Chapter 8

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Jake asked for the upteenth time, but Bonnibel shook her head, lugging the large keyboard case beside her. It wasn't extremely heavy, but it's boxy shape made it difficult and cumbersome to transport. Still, Bonnibel was just as determined to carry the instrument on her own as she was to learn how to play it properly.

"I'm fine, Jake, thanks…" She grunted with her exertion.

Jake looked her up and down, shaking his head.

"You don't have to take that thing back and forth every day, do you?"

"No, I'm allowed to leave it at home, so this is the only time I have to transport it. It's not too bad. Just a little heavy."

"Oh, Bonnie. You should have maybe chosen the piccolo?" Lady teased, giggling as she patted Bonnibel's head gently. The statement made Bonnibel grin, and in response she blew a raspberry at her friend, sticking her tongue out playfully.

"Kyaaaa, now I'm soaked~" Lady laughed, hiding behind Jake. "Be my umbrella, boyfriend!"

"And get hit by flying spit? No thanks." Jake rushed ahead slightly, and when Lady chased after him, Bonnibel gave up on keeping stride with her friends.

"I'll see you two tomorrow!" She called out. Jake turned to face her, jogging backwards to wave at Bonnie, but tripped over something and fell, pulling Lady down with him. Bonnibel gasped.

"Are you two ok?" She called out, laughing when the blonde girl smacked Jake a few times on the chest good naturedly. He rose and helped her up, holding a thumbs up out to Bonnibel. Lady offered her a small wave, so Bonnibel let out a relieved laugh. She watched them as they left, slowing her pace to a serene walk.

As she walked, Bonnibel allowed herself to look around the school much more closely than she had in the past. Lots of students were clowning around like Lady and Jake had been. Others ran around in groups of five or six, causing a ruckus and making a mess of the front of the school with dropped papers and junk food wrappers.

Smaller, quieter groups of friends sat in circles, sharing stories and homework answers, and a few stray students sat around on their laptops or books here and there.

It was serene, the picture of the school. Bonnibel realized it was the first time she'd really felt anything close to admiration about her new home city, and she smiled a bit to herself. This was good, she was adjusting. One step closer to this place feeling like home.

The weight of the keyboard digging into her shoulder broke her out of her short lived reverie, and for an instant she wished she'd taken up Jake on his offer. She adjusted the straps, relieved when the edge of the parking lot came into view. Just a little more now.

She let her mind wander to distract herself from the inconvenient instrument, thinking about how many steps it would take to get to her car. She watched the people around her going to their own cars, counting their steps absentmindedly so that she could estimate her own travel distance. Before she could make a solid guess, however, something caught her eye as she reached the second row of cars. She looked more closely as she walked, and finally placed it as familiar long, waist length hair billowing gently in the wind.

Her heart thrummed at the familiarity, and Bonnibel found herself slightly excited for the chance to learn more about her classmate.

"I wonder what kind of car she drives." Bonnibel whispered to herself. As she rounded a small minivan at the end of the row of cars, she noticed Marceline wasn't alone.

The person with her looked somehow oily to Bonnibel. It was a boy, if not a young man, standing a few inches over Marceline. He was leaning towards her, yellow grin visible even from a distance. The sides of his head were shaven, and the dirty little tuft of hair he still had atop his head was bleached almost white. His clothes resembled Marceline's, dark and devoid of any graphics. He popped the collar of his black jean vest up over his ears, and though Bonnibel couldn't figure out exactly why, the action bothered her.

What bothered her most, however, was Marceline. The girl was slouched against the wall, arms crossed tightly. She looked like a soldier with a bellyache, tense and unsettled.

The boy leaned in to say something then. Marceline turned her head away, but Bonnibel was hardly close enough to hear Marceline's soft murmuring. The boy laughed loudly at whatever Marceline said, reaching out to grasp her arm roughly, throwing her off balance.

Bonnibel tensed, expecting the worst from the girl in response- a yell, a slap, a reprimand at the least. Instead, Marceline staggered a second before regaining her posture, allowing the boy to leave his grubby hand on her arm.

Marceline never looked to crumpled, or so small. Bonnibel was used to Marceline's confident stride and stance. Seeing her like this made her stomach feel like it was digesting itself. The boy moved towards her again and she recoiled, turning her head away from him. He stroked her long hair, bringing it to his nose to smell it. Bonnibel's stomach lurched again.

Bonnibel couldn't understand Marceline's lack of fighting spirit, but something within her tinged upset, stopping the thoughts from truly reaching her. She rationalized that, regardless of how awful it was, Marceline would probably put up with more unpleasantries from a boyfriend than a normal friend, so it was natural she wouldn't pull away just because this boy was touching her a little roughly. It wasn't like he was hurting her in any way. Still, Bonnibel felt uneasy whenever she laid eyes on the boy, her hands itching to touch Marceline's again as they had on the piano. She wanted to pull her away.

Bonnibel felt a cold shiver run down her neck when she noticed the boy had turned towards her, and suddenly they locked eyes. Had she been staring? Had he noticed? Marceline wasn't looking at her, thank God, and Bonnibel quickly shouldered her keyboard, all but running towards her car in fear that Marceline would notice and think she was spying on her. Which she wasn't. Obviously.

When Bonnibel finally reached her car and was able to slip the heavy instrument into the trunkf, she was completely overcome with relief. She tucked into the driver's seat, pulling out of the parking lot with a newfound desire to get home. On the way to the exit, Bonnibel drove by the area Marceline had been standing in with that boy. She ducked slightly to try and conceal herself, but noticed curiously that he had left. Marceline stood against the wall still hugging herself, and from the way her shoulders bobbed, Bonnibel's heart knew she was crying again.

Something told her to get off the car and run to Marceline. Go envelope her in a hug, to whisper to her reassurances, to know what was wrong. Friend things. Comforting things. If it was Lady, she wouldn't have hesitated. But this was Marceline, and Bonnibel knew Marceline would hate it. She breathed deep to smother the little voice in her head, trying to convince herself that Marceline neither needed nor wanted her help. She left the parking lot, taking the shortest route home.

Her efforts to not think about what she'd seen failed completely. All the way home, Bonnibel thought about the boy. Who was he, and what did he dare say to Marceline that affected her so badly? Her stomach ached with anger. She hated him, and that scared her.

Bonnibel arrived at her apartment complex a few minutes later, and after parking in her usual spot, she felt at a loss for what to do. She held her phone in her hand, fingers itching to text someone about what she saw, to ask for insight, maybe even help. But who could she call? Who would even care enough to be concerned about the things she'd say? They'd tell her she was overreacting, and Bonnibel thought to herself that maybe she was. She shouldn't get involved. In the end, she had no other choice than to give Marceline her space.

"It's what she wants. She wouldn't put up with a boy like that if it's not what she wants. It's Marceline." Bonnibel thought to herself. "Marceline's tough. She knows what she's doing."

That night, Bonnibel set up her piano in contemplative silence, going right back to playing her arpeggio. She hoped to improve so much in one day that Marceline would be impressed. Maybe she'd be happy. Maybe she'd grin at her, or give her praise. After the day she'd had, Bonnibel wanted little more than to see the other girl smile.


	9. Chapter 9

When Bonnibel went to class the next morning, Marceline was sitting by Science's bowl, swirling the water with her finger. Bonnibel decided to keep to herself that she might be stirring up debris, and instead set about copying the agenda from the board. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and with a quick glance at the teacher, she pulled it out to look at it.

 _Bonnibel, you are more than welcome to stop by after school today. We'll get it all sorted out then._

Bonnibel let out a small laugh of triumph, texting back a quick 'thank you.' Marceline chose right then to materialize beside her, and Bonnibel looked up at her in surprise.

"No phones allowed in class." Marceline said dryly. Bonnibel noted her eyes weren't swollen today, nor her voice hoarse. Whatever had happened the night before didn't stretch to nightfall, and Bonnibel felt relieved. She grinned at Marceline, pocketing her phone.

"Right, sorry. Didn't mean to become a distraction in your learning environment."

Marceline's mouth twitched, but she didn't smile. She also didn't pull her phone out to text today, and Bonnibel wondered if that boy was who she had been texting so adamantly all semester. Was he her boyfriend? Had they broken up?

"So...why so observant of the school rules today?" Bonnibel teased. "You're usually knee deep in text messages by now."

Marceline raised a brow at her. "Are you a spy?"

Bonnibel's mind flashed back to sneaking around the day before, and the locked gaze between her and the greasy blond boy. She shook her head quickly, holding up her hands.

"I know it's none of my business! I'm just wondering what possessed you to talk to me instead of text your friends."

Marceline texted her head on the table, looking up at Bonnibel. She stretched lazily, licking her teeth as she wondered.

"No one to text today." She finally said, shrugging as best as she could in her position. "Thought I'd bother myself a nerd. Was boring. 0/10 would repeat." She looked away from Bonnibel then, neglecting to do anything related to class just as adamantly as she neglected paying Bonnibel any attention. All the way to lunch, Marceline didn't spare Bonnibel a single word.

As had become habitual, Bonnibel met up with Lady and Jake for lunch. The three traversed the cafeteria together, collecting their lunch trays. Bonnibel couldn't wait to share her good news. For the past few days, Bonnibel had been talking about getting a job at the local candy store. Her friends had been nothing but encouraging, and she was happy that their positivity had been rewarded. She explained to them the text massage from earlier as they made their way to some empty seats.

"I'm so excited, Lady!" Bonnibel said animatedly. Her friend smiled at her tightly around a mouthful of potatoes, nodding understandingly. Jake swallowed noisily, pointing his spoon at Bonnibel.

"So you're starting today?"

Bonnibel shrugged. "He told me to stop by to sort things out. Maybe it'll be like a tutorial."

"Man. Working at the Candy Kingdom. You've got to get us discounts!" Jake said, grinning widely. "It's the only place in town that sells bacon soda!"

Lady made a face at that, swallowing her food. "That would not be much of a loss. But it is also true that it's the only shop that carries Malang Cow, though. Better to go to a store and get a single bag to satisfy a craving than have to wait for the delivery of several, later."

Bonnibel smiled at them both, making a mental note of their favorite products. Maybe she'd surprise them tomorrow.

"Do you ever take your brother there?" Bonnibel wondered out loud. Jake put his hands up excitedly, making Bonnibel giggle.

"Well DUH. Of course I take Finn there. I wouldn't deprive the little guy of bacon soda! Kid loves all candy, through. Half his teeth have crowns because of how much he loves it."

Bonnibel winced. "How old is he?"

"Twelve. He's a seventh grader at our sister middle school. I'm a little relieved that I'll be out of school when the kid starts here, he's a little firecracker."

Lady nodded at that, holding Bonnibel's hand in her own. Bonnibel noted its warmth and softness, her mind wandering back to Marceline's heavy, calloused hands. She realized she didn't find Marceline's unpleasant, whereas Lady's were a tad bit sweaty.

"Finn set fire to their house using firecrackers. He is a wild boy."

Jake huffed, crossing his arms. "He's just a normal, growing boy, that's how boys are. Tell her, Bonnie, you've got a kid brother."

"Neddy has always been a tidy, quiet boy." Bonnibel offered, taking a bite of her sandwich. "He's never really gotten into trouble before. But he's only 10, maybe he needs a few more years before he's inspired to cause mischief." Bonnibel smiled at that, but said no more. Jake pouted.

"Maybe Finn can be a little bit of a handful. But he's a good kid, Bonnie, I swear!" Jake said, holding up three fingers. "Scout's honor!"

Bonnibel raised an eyebrow. "You're a Boy Scout?"

Jake blushed deeply, rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe I'm more of a man Scout?.." he cleared his throat. "But yes, I'm in the troop. So's Finn. He burned the house pre-fire safety training."

Bonnibel giggled, waving her hand to dismiss him. "Alright, alright. You're both good boys."

Jake kissed Lady on the cheek, resting his head on her shoulder. "You hear that, baby? I'm a good boy." Lady only hummed in response, running her fingers through his hair gently.

Watching them, Bonnibel thought about Marceline and the boy again. The way he stood over her was so different than the way Jake stood by Lady, and Lady never looked displeased in his company. The way their bodies always seemed to be touching- hand holding, a gentle kiss, or Jake sometimes stroking Lady's cheek as he watched her- it was different.

As Bonnibel wondered about it all, Jake moved up to smell Lady's hair, burying his face behind her ear and she swatted him, earning herself another cheek kiss in response. The boy yesterday had taken a lock of Marceline's hair in his hand and inhaled deeply, letting it fall when he was done. Like he was admiring a prize. Bonnibel felt upset. She got up, smiling reassuringly at the surprised glances of her friends, and threw away the remainder of her lunch. She excused herself, making her way to the music room. She felt like playing an arpeggio or two.

There was music pouring coming from behind the door. It was springy, happy guitar music. What sounded like a synthesized drum beat joined in, and Bonnibel recognized the song suddenly. It'd been playing on the radio for weeks.

 _I can't help it if I make a scene_

 _Stepping out of my hot pink limousine_

Bonnibel eyes widened and she ran to the door, peering in through the window. There stood Marceline, strumming on a red guitar, singing the ridiculous song happily. Her smile was so big as she confidently danced around the room.

 _I'm turning heads, and I'm stopping traffic_

 _When I pose, they scream, when I joke, they laugh_

She was acting out the song, Bonnibel realized. Marceline posed, jutting out her hip, much to the amusement of the girl playing the keyboard synthesizer alongside her. Bonnibel had never seen her before. Her magnificent afro bobbed as played.

 _I've got a pair of eyes that they're getting lost in,_

 _They're hypnotized by the way I'm walking,_

 _I've got them dazzled like a stage magician,_

 _When I point, they look, and when I talk, they listen, well_

The song was accurate, Bonnibel thought. She'd been mesmerized the whole song, watching Marceline strut about, her wild hair streaming behind her.

 _Everybody needs a friend,_

 _And I've got you and you and you_

 _So many, I can't even name them,_

 _Can you blame me? I'm too famous._

She sang this part to the girl on the keyboard who held out her hand, pretending to catch something from Marceline and holding it to her heart. She blew her a kiss, then, catching Bonnibel's gaze in the window. Rather than stopping she offered Bonnibel a wink, going right back to her playing. Bonnibel's face grew hot in her panic, but she couldn't bring herself to leave.

 _Haven't you noticed that I'm a star?_

 _I'm coming into view as the world is turning._

 _Haven't you noticed I've made it this far?_

 _Now, everyone can see me burning_

 _Now, everyone can see me burning_

 _Now, everyone can see me burning!_

"I think I just noticed…" Bonnibel whispered to herself as the last of Marceline's long notes resounded through the room. Bonnibel's heart lurched into her throat when Marceline ran to the other girl and high fived her, spinning around the keyboard to fall into her lap. The girl looked to Bonnibel again, grinning, and to her horror Marceline followed her gaze. When it met Bonnibel's she jumped up, and before she could put down her guitar to run out of the room, Bonnibel dashed down the hallway, cursing to herself the whole way.

Marceline was going to kill her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Had a bit of extra time today, so I decided to write another short chapter before bed, just for fun. This time, in Marceline's perspective!**

 **Thank you for your follows and comments! MarCor3, I especially enjoy your tiny remark at the end of each review! Why did the last one say -nope-? LOL**

Marceline tripped over her guitar's chord, the BOOM of the amp echoing through the music room.

"Shit!" She scrambled to take off her guitar and put it down on the floor gently, turning off the amp as she ran to the door.

"Marcy! They're gone by now."

Marceline peeked out the door, and as her friend said, the hallway was clear. Still, someone had seen her dancing. They'd heard her singing that stupid, stupid song. Marceline's face flushed hot, and as she stalked back to the other girl, slamming the door behind her.

"You knew someone was there, didn't you?" Marceline growled. The darker girl was bent over Marceline's guitar, rolling the chord into a neat coil. She smiled slightly.

"Maybe."

Marceline fell into the chair Keila was sitting in, letting her head fall onto the keyboard, which played a cacophony of spacey bass notes in protest.

"Keilaaaa, how could you. You should have said something…" Marceline tucked her face into her arms. "And on top of that, you made me play that stupid song!"

Keila chuckled, dragging the amp back to its storage closet and tucking it inside carefully. She lifted Marceline's guitar and slipped the strap over her shoulder, strumming a few simple chords. She leaned against the wall, reaching out to comb her fingers through Marceline's hair.

"I just wanted you to relax a little. You didn't answer any of my texts or calls last night, and you seemed really uptight. A stupid song about how great you are where you can dance around while I play the same bass line over and over again? Yeah, it was worth playing that to get a smile on your face." Keila petted her head, going back to the guitar when Marceline waved her hand away.

"I forgot to charge my phone last night." Marceline griped, pointing to said device charging in the corner. "Besides, after seeing Ash...I didn't really feel like talking to anyone last night."

Keila stopped playing when Marceline mentioned Ash, resting the guitar against the wall and sitting with her back against the side of the chair, leaning heavily on Marceline's leg. She bounced the back of her head on Marceline's thigh, humming when she felt the other girl's fingers play with her afro absentmindedly.

"Care to talk now?"

Marceline sighed. "I guess. I just felt upset. Bongo told you about the gig recently?" Just mentioning it made Marceline's mouth feel dry.

Keila sighed. "I should have known that would be it." She turned, leaning her chin on Marceline's leg and closing her eyes. "Bongo said the band got a gig at a bar, and that since we're not 21 yet, we have to sit this one out."

Marceline grumbled. "Bongo is a good guy, Keila. He put it so nicely."

"What did Ash say?"

"He came over after school yesterday and caught me in the parking lot. We were supposed to go to the music store but he was all…" Marceline's eyebrows furrowed, and when she spoke, her voice was lower in her best imitation of the boy. "So, babe, the good news is 'Marceline and the Scream Queens' got the gig! Only, the bar owner only wants the 21 and over crowd, so you and Keila can't play. It's just for a few weeks, you understand."

Keila snorted. "How insensitive."

"I may or may not have cried."

"Oh, Marcy…" Keila sighed. "He can be a bit blunt sometimes. Bongo says he's been like that since they were kids."

Marceline nodded. "I know. I think what got me was when he said since I wasn't playing, the band was going to change its name for a bit. They're 'The Cherry Blossom Wizards' for this gig." The name felt stupid, but she didn't want to say so.

"That's stupid." Keila huffed, and Marceline chuckled. Keila never disappointed. "There's no way my boy came up with that name, no way. Bongo would definitely stick with 'The Scream Queens.' Must have been your guy, being as obsessed with magic as he is."

Marceline pinched the bridge of her nose. "I hate to admit it but you're probably right. He has the worst taste in so many things." She said, sighing.

"Not in choosing my Mar-Mar~" Keila whipped up to cup Marceline's cheeks in her hands, making kissing noises as she squeezed them. Marceline struggled to get away from the attack, forcing her to turn around again. She hugged Keila from behind, resting her chin on her head.

"I'm serious. Dating you is the only good decision that boy has ever made." Keila was silenced by Marceline's hands. Despite the action, Marceline's heart swelled a bit at her friend's praise.

"I'm so glad you came to this school, Keila. I don't know what I would have done without you." Marceline sighed, rubbing her face into Keila's hair. Keila laughed.

"First of all, YOU came to ME. But I feel the same way, Marce. Feels good to have a friendly, not preppy face to look at for my last year in this hell." She reached for Marceline's cheeks again, only to be interrupted by the beeping of her phone. She pulled it from her pocket. It was a text message.

"Hey, it's Bongo. He's with Ash and the guys. They wanna come by and pick us up." Keila said.

"Right now?" Marceline sounded incredulous. She checked her phone for the time. Ash hadn't texted her at all. She wasn't surprised. He usually waited for her to initiate things. Keila interrupted her upset.

"When else? Lunch is the only time we're allowed to leave before school ends." Keila said. She seemed impatient. Lunch ended in a few minutes, so Marceline assumed she was anxious to make it out without the administrators noticing.

"No thanks, Keila. To be honest, I'm not too eager to see Ash right now." Marceline said quietly. Keila shrugged, and they both got up, stretching.

"Understandable, but you're missing out." She typed out a quick reply as Marceline gathered her things. "Heading to class then, Abadeer?" Keila asked, rushing to put away her keyboard. Marceline nodded.

"Well bathroom first, but yes. Meet me here tomorrow for another jam session? With a less stupid song, please?" Marceline asked. The eagerness in her tone was almost desperate, especially in the last bit. Keila giggled, standing on her tiptoes to give Marceline's cheek one last pinch.

"Roger."

Marceline saluted Keila as she left the classroom, stopping when she stepped on something a few steps later. It rolled a bit under her weight, and when she bent to pick it up, she blanched. The color returned quickly to her face as she realized just how the crown-topped mechanical pencil must have gotten there.


	11. Chapter 11

_Looking for this?_

Too cocky, not angry enough.

 _Why the hell were you spying on me?!_

Too angry, not cool enough.

 _You really are spying on me, aren't you?_

Too freaking insecure.

 _Did you enjoy the show?_

Weird.

 _You dropped something._

Pretty ok. She'd go with that one.

Marceline had been rehearsing what she'd say to Bonnibel all the way to music class, feeling angry with the whole situation. Of COURSE Bonnibel was the one watching. Of COURSE the one person she had to deal with on a daily basis New she sometimes acted like an idiot. Bonnibel. Who did she think she was, strutting around so confidently all the time? Every day she had to deal with the preppy nightmare.

First thing in the morning, they checked the stupid fish. Physics they sat together as they did in every class, and even though they didn't talk much, she felt bothered. Bonnibel's presence and constant note-taking was condescending even without her having to speak. Then PE. Of COURSE they shared a locker. Every day it was a race to change and get out of the locker room before miss prim and perfect decided to take her time organizing her things, mumbling to herself about lack of organization. Math was the worst by far. With Bonnibel raising her hand to answer so many questions, the teacher knew immediately when Marceline wasn't doing her work. She'd never been called on so often in her life.

Hell. Bonnibel brought forth hell. She'd undermined Marceline's efforts the other day, too. Marceline had spent precious minutes memorizing those lines, and Bonnibel went and said they didn't have to recite them after all. While Marceline was relieved at first, anger prickled her neck now. Why should anyone else decide when she's fit to perform?

Stupid Bonnibel, and her stupid perception. Marceline thought back to the day, and how Bonnibel had been the only one to be able to tell that she'd been crying, and the only one to ask if she was ok. She'd been the only one to know Marceline wasn't even when she said she was, too.

Marceline shook the thought out of her head, looking down at the pencil in her hand. A part of her said Bonnibel didn't bother Marceline on purpose. No nerd would go so far out of their way to bother someone else for no reason. She never got the vibe that Bonnibel hated her, either. With no motive, why would Bonnibel try and ridicule her? It didn't make any sense.

Still, she'd seen her. She'd seen Marceline prancing around like an idiot. She'd seen her playing with Keila and being more than civil, or friendly even. Outside of school, Keila and Marceline had always been affectionate in their strange way that teetered between lecherously amorous and violent, but aside from the band, Marceline hadn't shown that side of her to anyone.

She squeezed the pencil in her hand. She felt violated. Bonnibel had somehow squeezed her way into Marceline's business- asking about her tears, checking on her feelings- and Marceline didn't like it. It went against her plan go slither by unnoticed, even if it was only a little. Her thoughts froze when she reached the classroom to find Bonnibel setting up a keyboard.

The girl looked up when she heard the shuffling behind her, but she looked away quickly. Marceline sighed. She had totally seen her acting a fool. She shuffled to her usual corner, pulling her small practice amp and headphones out of a cabinet. She set up quickly, plugging in her guitar before turning back to look at Bonnibel.

The blond girl was busy practicing her arpeggios already, and Marceline had to admit she'd improved a lot in just a day. A small amused smile tugged at her lips when she realized Bonnibel was playing in the same key over and over again. She laughed to herself. Did she not realize she could move up and down the keyboard and keep the fingerings? Marceline thought to herself to teach her, but she shook the thought out of her head.

Angry. She was supposed to feel upset that Bonnibel spied on her. If Ash was in her shoes, she would have ripped her apart already. That, or he wouldn't have cared. Or he would have been...flattered?

Marceline sat down. Why did she think about Ash, anyways? She was mad at him too. The shared anger must have sparked the thought of him, that's it. She picked up her guitar and played it a little, trying to sort out her feelings. She'd felt much angrier before, but now, a small emptiness started eating at her stomach.

This emptiness was scary. It's what made her cry at stupid things like the momentary name changing of the band she'd founded, and her feelings were stupider in the way that they justified her outburst for her without her meaning to. The emptiness made her want to go home and sleep, and it made her want to smash her guitar over Ash's head.

She was overthinking things. That was dangerous. She'd been playing to herself for several minutes. She had to act soon, or she'd lose her nerve. She'd tell him how she felt tonight. For sure. Marceline nodded to herself, playing with the pencil in her pocket.

The pencil. She was supposed to deliver her super cool line. You dropped something. That would get Bonnibel for sure. And then Marceline would ask her, why are you always spying on me? And Bonnibel would be flustered, and Marceline would tell her to stop it. And then, it would all be ok. Yeah, ok.

Marceline got up, making a beeline for Bonnibel, who was listening to something from her phone. Marceline wondered if she was taking a break. She walked behind the other girl so she wouldn't see her, tapping her shoulder and holding out the pencil for her to see.

Bonnibel jumped in surprise, her phone falling from her lap and yanking the earbuds out on the way down. Marceline caught the title of the music Bonnibel had been listening to, and immediately she blushed deeply, clutching the pencil tightly in her hand.

"You!"

Marceline didn't know why she'd said that. She'd already known that Bonnibel had been watching her, the pencil had been proof enough of that. However, seeing the title of the song she'd been singing earlier with Keila did little to ease her boiling blood. She scowled at Bonnibel who quickly gathered up her phone and her earbuds, trying to look innocent.

"Me?" She asked, pointing to herself. Marceline groaned.

"I knew it! You were watching me at lunch, how dare you! What made you think it was ok to follow me around like that?" Marceline growled out, anger getting the better of her. Bonnibel shrunk back in her seat, eyes wide.

"I wasn't following you! I wanted to practice piano, and well…" she blushed a bit, and Marceline couldn't meet her eyes. She felt vulnerable, somehow. Bonnibel held up her hands defensively.

"I PROMISE, Marceline, I didn't think I was going to run into you! But you were singing that song and it's so catchy. Your voice really made it sound good, way better than the original…" Marceline glanced back at Bonnibel. She was wringing her hands nervously. Marceline noted her pudgy fingers. Definitely not the hands of a pianist.

"Here." Marceline held out the pencil, scowling. "You dropped this when you booked it down the hallway." The anger in her voice was beginning to falter, her fighting spirit fizzling out with it. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to go back to playing her guitar.

Bonnibel took the pencil unsurely, frowning at Marceline. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept watching. But I mean it when I said you're good. You really should join a band!" Bonnibel said, unable to hide the honesty in her voice. Marceline hated her pep, and the irony of it all. "That girl…" Bonnibel swallowed, "your girlfriend, by the looks of it...she's really good on the keyboard."

"Keila is not my girlfriend!" Marceline nearly shouted, and Bonnibel was taken aback. She blinked a few times, searching Marceline's face for the lie. When she found nothing, Marceline frowned.

"From the way you sat on her lap, I just assumed-"

"You assumed wrong." Marceline interrupted, crossing her arms. "We're not like that. She's just a really good friend of mine."

"Oh…" Bonnibel whispered, and Marceline could feel the awkward tension in the air between them. She cleared her throat. "Anyways, I don't appreciate being spied on. So, bug off, nerd, I mean it. No more surprise insights on Marceline, please." Marceline huffed, and Bonnibel shook her head vigorously.

"I'm not spying on you! I promise they're coincidences. And if I ever see you in the music room again, I won't stay, I promise." She recalled Jake's sign from earlier and she imitated it, smiling in a way she hoped was convincing. "Scout's honor."

Marceline rolled her eyes. "Whatever, princess perfect. You'd better keep your word. We're practicing here again tomorrow, just a heads up to stay away."

Bonnibel nodded once. "Far away." She replied, and Marceline turned on her heel, stalking off toward her guitar again.

The interaction had not gone at all like she had planned. She didn't know how she should feel about it, but she tried to convince herself that relieved would probably be a good component to add to the little feelings punch bubbling in her chest.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi everyone! Sorry for missing an update yesterday, I was busy with family stuff and then saw the Pokémon movie. Lots of tears were shed, IT'S SUPER GOOD. Catch it on Disney XD on Nov 25!**

 **Back to Bubbline:**

 **MarCor3, of course she wouldn't hit Bonnie! But Marcy needs to calm down regardless =u=**

 **Enjoy everyone! Please R &R, I love feedback~**

Bonnibel was beside herself with excitement as she walked down the street to the candy shop. Working at the Candy Kingdom had been a goal she set for herself shortly after changing schools. Its closeness to the school meant she could take shifts right after school when it was busiest. Her boss would appreciate that, she was sure.

As she predicted, the shop was bustling with students, ranging from elementary school students to students from the local university, all buying sweets and sodas from the popular little shop. Bonnibel, too, had been raised on these candies, and she was happy that business was still booming.

"Bonnibel! Come here." She recognized the higher pitched voice easily, and pushed her way through the crowd of people to the counter.

The man who spoke was red-headed and rather round, sporting a fancy white handlebar mustache. He wore a bright red shirt and a white and red striped apron- a uniform he hadn't changed in over thirty years, from what Bonnibel had heard. She made her way behind the counter, smiling at the man.

"Hello, Minton! I hope I'm on time." She said politely, and he nodded good naturedly, although she could tell he was distracted by all the work there was to do.

"Yes, right on time. I want you to go to the back room. Put all your things into a cubby and take one of the aprons. You start immediately. Cake needs help managing the other jobs." Minton motioned quickly to a very flustered looking young woman wearing a frilly orange apron and a white headscarf. She was busy measuring out toffees into little bags, weighing them and writing down names and amounts on little sheets of paper for Minton to use at checkout. Bonnibel hurried to the back.

The back room was small, but nice enough. She quickly located the cubbies and stuffed her jacket and earbuds into one, thankful that she thought to leave her backpack in her car today. By the door was a hook with several aprons hanging from it. She took a second to look through them, wondering which was best. A light green one with jelly bean print all over it, a gaudy yellow with a lemon chest pocket, and finally a light blue one with pink bubbles and colorful gum balls over the front. Bonnibel slipped it on, tying it as she walked to the front. She was happy with her choice when she realized it had thigh pockets- one of which she slipped her crown pencil into.

"Grab a hat!" It was Minton calling out to her, pointing to a shelf with T-shirt's and other merchandise behind the counter. Bonnibel motioned towards it and he nodded.

There were several choices here as well. Beanies with more jellybeans embroidered along the fold, jester hats with bells, witches hats with fake candy floss decorations…a simple snap back caught Bonnibel's attention. It was light green and white, with the word 'sweet' embroidered on the front in pink letters. She slipped her ponytail through the back and tugged it into place, joining Minton at the register.

"Alright, Bonnie. You've been coming here for years, so I'm confident you know the product and prices, right?"

Bonnibel smiled widely, nodding. "Like the back of my hand." She said happily. He smiled, handing change to a child before addressing her again.

"Good, good! I'd like you to be in charge of samples, then. Walk around the store and offer people tastes of our classic and new candy, and if they have something they're looking for or a craving for a particular flavor, can I trust you to know what to recommend?" His tone was playful. Bonnibel had always liked Minton. She nodded once, grinning widely. He handed her a small pad of receipt paper and she put it in her pocket, picking up a tray of chocolate bark and getting to work immediately, asking everyone in the store if they'd like to try a sample.

Two hours passed quickly, and suddenly the store was empty. Bonnibel stretched, feeling satisfied. She'd never dealt with so many people at once before. Minton walked over to her, putting his small hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him. He'd always looked much taller in her youth, but now she realized he was almost the same height as her. How fast time passed.

"Very well done, Miss Bonnibel! And with no instruction! Today went by very, very smoothly thanks to your help. Cake, wasn't she amazing?" Minton laughed. The woman smiled at Bonnibel, nodding.

"She was! I can't believe you didn't need instructions! You just waltzed right in here like a queen and took care of business!" Bonnibel noted that Cake was very animated when she spoke, pounding her hand with a fist when she mentioned taking care of business and bouncing around otherwise. Bonnibel liked her immediately. "Where did you find this girl, Mint?"

Bonnibel blushed then, smiling at the man. He grinned back, his arm ringing her shoulders gently. He puffed his chest out a bit when he said proudly "She is my goddaughter."

Cake laughed, slapping her knee once. "No wonder you know your way around here, you were raised in this shop, weren't you?"

Bonnibel nodded. "I was. Still, Minton was a little...reluctant to hire me." Bonnibel said, smiling. Minton stroked his mustache.

"She's been asking to work here since she was ten. But I told her, school comes first! Graduate high school, go to university! Pursue a career! But, well…" His hand tightened on her shoulder for a second, and Bonnibel finished his thought for him.

"When I came to the school nearby, he couldn't say no. You guys need the help, and it's no bother to me. Minton's getting old…"

"Hey." The man interjected. Cake laughed, but Bonnibel continued.

"With the two of us here, Cake, Minton doesn't have to worry about closing up shop! He can spend more time at home." Bonnibel said, hopefully, and Minton smiled, nodding.

"A very considerate girl. And very bright! I'm sure she'll be a great help to you, Cake. I hope you two get along well." He patted Bonnibel's shoulder and walked away. Cake smiled at her.

"Of course we'll get along, girl, you're a candy genius! Come on, I'll show you where all the cleaning supplies are. Rush hour kids always track mud into the store and leave the counters sticky with soda. Then we've got to take inventory and reorganize the candy! It's a mess already, and there's usually another wave after dinner, and the adults come in for something sweet right before bedtime."

Bonnibel looked over her shoulder at Minton, but her godfather wasn't looking at her. He was gazing at a small picture frame made to look like it was made out of twizzlers. She knew what photo he was looking at. It took everything she had to tear her gaze away and follow Cake to the supply cabinet, telling herself she had work to do.

The rest of the day went smoothly. At Cake's insistence, Minton went home at six, which was a full three hours before the store closed. Together, she and Bonnibel had polished every surface in the store, fixed the displays to look more appealing, and prepared the candy dispensers for the next day. Cake counted up the amounts of candy left and compared them to the day before, whistling deeply.

"Sales went up this afternoon, Bonnie, and almost all of our chocolate bark is gone! Whatever your sales tactic was, it worked beautifully. Maybe tomorrow we'll put you to help get rid of our less popular items. Got any sales pitches for bacon soda?" Cake said, and Bonnibel giggled.

"I'll be sure to make some. I'll take a couple of bottles today, though." She said as she washed the apples to be dipped the next morning. Cake made a face.

"Gonna research taste profiles? I liked it once upon a time. But I'm definitely over it now. Weird grease taste." Cake said, wincing. Bonnibel held the tip of her tongue between her teeth.

"I'll just ask my friend for a flavor profile. He loves the stuff. I'll also need Malang Cow and…" she thought a second, looking around. "Assorted gummies, maybe. The weirdest shapes we've got!"

She started tallying up the totals on a receipt paper, handing it to Cake. "Ring me up!"

Cake grinned. "Weird taste in candy, kid. You get a discount, by the way. 15%, not too bad at all." She rung up the total and Bonnibel paid her, putting everything into a bag.

"Not for me. Gifts. I'm more partial to chocolate cordials." Bonnibel said, a smile pulling at her lips. Cake pretended to be outraged, but as they gathered their things to leave, she handed Bonnibel a chocolate. Strawberry filled, bitter and with a hint of liquor. Bonnibel decided then she loved Cake.

Bonnibel sat in her car for a bit before leaving, plugging her phone in and playing- for the hundredth time- that pop song Marceline had been singing. She didn't know why she liked it so much all of a sudden when all her life she'd been most drawn to classical music, but she decided to indulge, singing along quietly as she drove.

She reached the apartment complex not twenty minutes later, pulling into the garage. She went up the stairs, unlocking the door to her flat and making her way to her room. Her phone rang as she fell onto her bed, and she answered it.

"Hello, Minton, yeah, that was my car, I just got home." She lay back, smiling when he asked about the store, and how closing had gone, and she assured him everything had gone well. "How's Neddy? Can I say goodnight to him?" Bonnibel asked. There was a pause, and she assumed Minton was checking on the boy. It was short lived and soon he was back, mumbling something to Bonnibel. She sighed, grinning. "No, no, it's alright if he doesn't want to talk, Minton. Tell him I'll stop by for breakfast before school tomorrow, and that I love him." Minton's voice was more cheerful to relay that reply, and with that, Bonnibel said her goodnights.

A few seconds later, she heard a light thumping on the wall by her headboard. She sat up, tapping her knuckles against the wall firmly, and she got another, harder knock in return. She drummed her fingers against the wall for a few minutes. When she stopped she waited for a reply. When she got none, she tapped the wall one last time.

"Goodnight, Neddy." She whispered to herself. Smiling, she started her homework.


	13. Chapter 13

**Here's another update to make up for yesterday. Ahh, a glimpse of my old writing. The story's moving. The fun is starting.**

"BACON SODA!" Jake cheered, holding the four pack above his head. Beside him, Lady sucked quietly on her own candy, smiling. Bonnibel handed him the bag of assorted gummies next, doing a double take when she saw what looked like a green gummy foot inside. Jake saw it too, laughing out a garbled "gnarly!" Before popping the top of one of his sodas.

"Those are for Finn." Bonnibel said firmly. "I want to make sure he gets them!" She said, laughing when Jake choked on his first overenthusiastic swig of soda.

"I'll hand them over, don't worry! Man, that kid is gonna adore you, Bon. His little heart'll grow three sizes." Jake said, tucking the candy into his messenger bag. He put one bottle of soda into each of the bottle holders on the sides of the bag, slipping the last one into Lady's backpack's bottle holder. "No drinking it, Lady. It's special from Bonnie."

Lady rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to Bonnibel. "How was your first day?" She asked. Bonnibel fiddled with a stray lock of hair, grinning shyly.

"Honestly, I've been helping out at the store since I was a little kid. The owner is my godfather." She admitted. She figured there was no harm in telling them. Jake's eyes lit up.

"Bonnie, that's so awesome! I wish I had a cool candy making family member. You could become like, candy protege, or like…" he pulled at the pencil Bonnibel had tucked behind her ear, pointing at the small crown at the end. "...candy princess!" Bonnibel snatched it back, making a face at him before using it to put her hair up in a bun.

"Don't exaggerate, Jake. I'm happy enough just getting to work there every day. Though…" she gestured for them to come closer. "Now, this is top secret, but we're planning on getting a slush machine in the summer, and a soda tap." She whispered, grinning widely when Jake beamed, whimpering in excitement and he pumped his fists in the air.

"Bacon soda on tap!" He exclaimed, quiet enough for only the three of them to hear. Bonnibel laughed, and Lady shook her head, though she was amused, too.

"I request melon." Lady said, popping another candy in her mouth. Bonnibel nodded.

"Noted." She felt excited to be able to share the Candy Kingdom news with her friends, even if she still kept some things to herself.

Minton had stressed the importance of building friendships in her new school, and she thought to herself that working at the candy store had definitely been a good idea. It gave her a whole new aspect of life to talk about without oversharing. She took a breath. This was good. It was healthy. Pushing the thoughts out of her head she ate her lunch, happy to be able to laugh along with her friends.

In music class later that day, Bonnibel hated to admit that she had grown very tired of her arpeggio. While she'd assumed playing it to perfection would make it sound more musical to her, the thing plunked along with her fingers mechanically once more. Maybe she wasn't meant to play the piano.

She'd never been good at music. Neddy could listen to a song once and hum every note perfectly for days, but Bonnibel could barely remember the lyrics to her favorite songs. She felt deprived.

Piano was difficult. Her fingers didn't stretch far enough, her brain couldn't figure out how to play two totally different parts at the same time. The arpeggio was the closest thing to music Bonnie had ever played, and even then, she felt no closer to her goal.

Her goal. It was overwhelming to think about, and as soon as her mind touched on it, Bonnibel pushed the notion back. She felt her breath hitch and forced herself to take deep breaths and focus on the arpeggio. She played it again. And again. And again, but it didn't sound right. She groaned.

As if though summoned by Bonnibel's negativity, Marceline materialized beside her, holding her hand out to catch her attention. Bonnibel's hope came back in a small trickle at the sight of her momentary piano teacher, the music prodigy, and she waited for any praise, or acknowledgment of her improvement. She wanted permission to go back to Lightly Row, to make real music. When Marceline spoke, her hopefulness dropped back to zero and threatened to fall ever lower.

"That key is really annoying when you hear it played several days in a row." Marceline grumbled, crossing her arms. Bonnibel stared at her, frowning. "Can't you play anything else?"

"You taught me how to play this, and told me to practice it." Bonnibel countered, pouting slightly. Her heart started beating faster, she noticed. "I just did what you told me to."

Marceline huffed. "I taught you the arpeggio, but you can change keys, brainiac." Marceline pushed passed Bonnibel, angrily playing the arpeggio a few keys up to prove her point. Bonnibel blanched.

"Y-you didn't tell me I could do that!" She said, biting her lip. Marceline huffed in response.

"I thought you'd figure it out. It's not rocket science." Marceline said, flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder. Bonnibel's gaze fixed on the red bra strap there, peeking out from Marceline's black tank top, and Bonnibel swallowed, looking for what to say next.

"I thought you'd give me instructions once I got the arpeggio down…" Bonnibel said more quietly, hopefully. Marceline laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm not your teacher. You should have asked Pat, not stuck your expectations on me." She growled, motioning towards Mr. Ursa behind her. "I just gave you a suggestion. I had no intention of teaching you anything. But now, that arpeggio is getting on my nerves. Probably everyone else's, too." Marceline said, motioning to the rest of the class. "They're all progressing. Might want to take a page from their book."

Bonnibel twiddled her thumbs, feeling stupid for placing her faith in Marceline for even a second. She was dangerously close to tears, avoiding eye contact lest they break free.

"Sorry." She squeaked out, clenching her lips together.

"What?" Marceline asked, leaning toward her. Had she not heard her, or was she's trying to make her apologize again? It had to be the latter. She was being insufferable today, Bonnibel thought to herself.

She was being unfair. She was always unfair. Just because she'd seen her playing that stupid song. Bonnibel was going to delete that song from her phone first chance she had. She should have never thought Marceline would be impressed with her efforts, or help her. She'd told her straight out to bugger off. It was Bonnibel's fault for not taking the hint.

"What did you say?" Marceline demanded again, and Bonnibel bit her lip.

Why was she so mean when Bonnibel had done nothing to counter her? She'd let her get away with freeloading on her assignments. She stood up for her when she noticed she wasn't feeling well, even though Marceline had put her down for wanting to make a greater academic effort. She'd been nothing but nice, and Marceline didn't appreciate it. She was awful.

No more. No more free credit for Marceline, and if she was going through something, well, so what? Nobody cared what Bonnibel was going through. Nobody gave her any special consideration. Why should she give Marceline any?

Her heart twinged.

Everything was awful. She was alone. Nothing was as friendly or familiar as it had been just a year ago. The people here didn't care about her. No one cared about her.

Bonnibel felt a tear squeeze past her defenses, and she felt the tightness in her chest constrict further with the dip her thoughts had taken. This was dangerous, she realized.

"What did you say to me, ner-" Marceline was shocked to see Bonnibel's flushed face meet her own angrily, her blue eyes streaming tears. She began to stuff things in her backpack hurriedly, not looking at Marceline the whole time.

"I'd said I was sorry, but I'm not!" Bonnibel called to her. She got up to leave suddenly. "You ought to be sorry for being so downright mean for no reason." Bonnibel left the classroom quickly without bothering to put away her keyboard or music, leaving Marceline with her mouth agape.

In the bathroom, Bonnibel splashed water on her face, taking deep breaths. She wanted to curl up and cry, the thoughts taking hold on her. She shook her head, trying to fight off each one.

Lady likes you.

She took another breath, rubbing circles into her temples.

Jake has been nothing but nice to you.

She splashed more water onto her face, taking a gulp from her palms despite knowing it was most likely unsanitary.

Neddy needs you.

She dried her hands and face on a paper towel, looking at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot, but her chest felt ok. The tightness was subsiding.

"Those things you told yourself aren't true." Bonnibel told her reflection, just for the sake of hearing it. "The people here are nice. This is a good school, a good place. You're making good friends. You got a good job. You still have your fantastic little brother, and he loves you."

Bonnibel's hands had been shaking, but they'd gone back to normal, feeling cold and tight at the knuckles, but she was otherwise ok. She took a final look in the mirror, deciding she was ok.

It scared her how quickly she could fall into those thoughts, and into that hopelessness. She thought back to Marceline, and while the girl had been rude and a little inconsiderate of Bonnibel this semester, she probably didn't deserve being yelled at.

Despite knowing this, Bonnibel couldn't bring herself to go back into the classroom to apologize. She walked down the corridors slowly. There was still a significant portion of class left, but she had no drive to return. She considered stopping by the counselor's room, but the urge to talk to someone wasn't there, and she didn't want to force it.

Instead, Bonnibel made her way to the parking lot, climbing into her car and locking the doors. 30 minutes. She would nap for 30 minutes, and then she'd go to work, and Minton wouldn't notice anything. She'd restore her day to its former goodness. She'd pick up dinner for Neddy and Minton and herself and they'd eat together tonight. She'd finish her homework, and she'd get a good night sleep. Today would be ok. Tomorrow would be better.

Bonnibel unlocked her phone and set her alarm. She saw the title of the song she'd been playing on repeat for the last few days, but despite what she'd thought to herself during her small outburst, she couldn't bring herself to delete it. Instead she switched the song, falling asleep to the soft piano and lyrics from the ending theme of Neddy's favorite television show.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapters are getting a little longer!**

 **Things seem all over the place, but they'll start straightening out soon...hope you enjoy it! Please R &R**

True to her word, Bonnibel made the best out of the remainder of her day. While Minton did notice something was bothering Bonnibel, he didn't push her to speak, and announced he was leaving home early again. Before he left, he pulled her aside to talk.

"How's day two?" He asked, trying to be cheerful. The day had been just as busy as the day before, and Bonnibel had worked just as hard to push product. She stretched, smiling at her godfather.

"I'm liking it just fine. I got lots of people to try our new caramels, and I think they're going to be a hit!" She said confidently. Minton smiled, patting her head.

"Good, good. I know you can handle it. This store is in good hands." He rubbed at the edge of the counter, looking away from her almost shyly. "It's a-" he cleared his throat, "-family run business now."

Bonnibel's gaze snapped around to fix itself on him, but he didn't look at her, continuing to thumb at the grooves in the wood.

"I want you to think of this place as yours, Bonnibel. And...and you live in the apartment next door and I know living in different apartments in the same complex doesn't really count as a house, but…" Minton finally met her gaze, smiling tightly.

Bonnibel could remember the last time she saw him speak this sincerely. She pushed the memory down. It was too raw. Instead, she waited expectantly for what he'd say next. He clapped her gently on the shoulder.

"...I hope it comes to feel like home to you." He cleared his throat again, adding "And to Neddy, of course, but that boy…" he smiled, shaking his head. "That boy's got more figured out than we do."

Bonnibel laughed along with Minton, appreciating the warm silence that followed before she broke it.

"How does Chinese sound tonight? I'll pick it up on the way home and stop by. This morning I told Neddy we'd have dinner together, too." She explained, feeling like she'd barged in on Minton's life. The man was more than happy to accept, and with that, he left to pick up Neddy. Bonnibel felt the weight of having this man in her life, and something in her chest felt better. She added having Minton to her mental list of things to be thankful for.

Bonnie allowed herself to stay late after dinner, playing videogames with her little brother right up until his bedtime. She tucked him in and kissed him goodnight this time, and the act washed away the last of the sorrow that had gripped her the day before at school. As she arranged herself to do her homework, she cursed, realizing she had forgotten her math book in her locker when she left in a huff.

Feeling stupid, she typed out a message to Lady, hoping she was still awake at this late hour. The conversation they had was not what she wanted, at all.

 _Bonnie: Lady, I forgot my math book at school today, can you please send me a picture of the homework problems?_

 _Lady: It is very late, you are barely starting now?_

 _Bonnie: I was very busy today…_

 _Lady: It is not like you to forget your book. We didn't see you after school, are you ok?_

Bonnibel sighed, wondering if it was good or bad to have such a perceptive friend. She contemplated what to say, her reply feeling empty, somehow.

 _Bonnie: It was a long day. I didn't feel very well._

She typed and sent the next part of the text without thinking, and seeing it send shot a shiver of coldness down her spine.

 _Bonnie: I wrongly yelled at Marceline_

Her phone pinged with a new message. It was a picture from Lady, but when she opened it, she found herself looking at sheet of paper with the problems and solutions neatly written out in Lady's neat handwriting. Also attached to the message was the completed social studies handout, and a physics cheat sheet written out neatly on a notecard for the quiz the next day.

 _Lady: Relax tonight, Bonnie. I won't tell anyone._

 _Bonnibel smiled down at her phone, shaking her head slightly. It pinged again, and her smile only grew, her chest feeling warm past her amusement._

 _Lady: Marceline needs more than some yelling at, a little from you won't hurt. It will all be ok gong-ju-nim, rest._

 _Bonnie: Thank you. Goodnight, Lady._

 _Lady: Jal-ja._

Bonnibel took Lady up on the offered homework, copying it while absentmindedly combing for mistakes and cutting out whatever shortcuts Lady had used. Bonnibel's teacher knew of her diligence, she never cut corners or left out any steps. She'd made a fantastic friend.

When Bonnibel arrived to school the next day, she was slightly relieved to find that Marceline wasn't in homeroom. Bonnibel fed Science, half expecting Marceline to walk in late, but the girl never came. It had been a while since Marceline had skipped class, but Bonnibel refused to think it had been her fault. Marceline could care less about what she had to say, anyways.

Despite her self-assurances, Bonnibel felt exhausted.

When she walked into Literature, Lady and Jake had already pulled their tables together for group discussion. She relayed the news that Marceline was absent, and while Jake complained about having to do her portion of the work, Lady only showed concern for Bonnibel.

"It has nothing to do with you, gong-ju-nim. Don't you worry." Lady assured her. Bonnibel was sitting beside her for the first time in that class, and without allowing herself to overthink it, she leaned into Lady, resting her head on the girl's shoulder.

Lady didn't act surprised at all, gently running her fingers through Bonnibel's hair and over her cheek. Bonnibel blushed, feeling comforted but vulnerable. Lady was warm, and she smelled nice. She was considerate of her feelings and needs. She cared about her.

Bonnibel had made a fantastic friend.

Jake walked up to the table Bonnibel and Lady were reserving with two trays in his hand. He smiled down at them, chuckling.

"Yo, Bon, you've been clinging to my Lady all day. Are you two planning on eloping?" Jake said, sitting opposite the two and putting down the trays. Bonnie had been leaning on Lady's shoulder again and she tried to move away in response to Jake's comment, but Lady put an arm about her shoulders to hold her in place.

"Don't be jealous, u-ri gang-a-ji! Our Bonnie is tired. She needs care." Lady said gently, combing back Bonnibel's bangs.

Bonnibel placed her arm on the table, resting her cheek against it. She felt shy, but the affection Lady had been showering her in all day was nothing short of addicting. She realized she hadn't received any physical intimacy in months, and while the thought embarrassed her, she was extremely grateful for her friend. Allowing herself another burst of clinginess, she turned her face into Lady's belly, earning herself back rubs.

"What's the matter, Bonnie?" She'd never heard Jake speak so quietly, or so calmly. He lay on his arms on the table, looking over at the two girls across from him. Bonnie couldn't see it, but through their knowing looks Jake and Lady shared their feelings about their friend, their hovering verging on concerned rather than worried. Bonnibel sighed.

"I…" Her voice was muffled against Lady's tiedyed sweatshirt, so she returned to leaning her head on her friend's shoulder. Jake chewed on his sandwich slowly. It was the first time he hadn't horfed it down the first chance he got.

"I honestly don't think I can talk about it yet…" Bonnibel felt disappointment wash over her, along with a healthy serving of guilt. Lady patted her leg, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Aw, that's ok. We're just glad you're still hanging out with us even when you're not feeling well. And if you do feel like talking about it, we'll be here." Jake said sincerely, reaching across the table to pat her hand. "Lady makes a good pillow, and she always helps me feel better. Borrow her as long as you like." Jake added, and Lady giggled. She hugged Bonnibel around the shoulders, surprising the girl with her eagerness to cuddle.

"Anytime, gong-ju-nim, you just call eonni, and I will come." Lady chimed in. Bonnibel laughed, hugging her back. It felt good, she decided. Having friends felt good.

Music class felt strange for Bonnibel. She didn't have the energy to set up her keyboard, but she took it out of its closet anyway, suddenly remembering that she hadn't put it away. She went to Pat who was sitting comfortably with a banjo in the corner of the room, apologizing profusely for having forgotten to put it away and for leaving so suddenly. The man waved her apologies away, explaining that her kind friend had put it away for her. Confused, she asked who.

"The Scream Queen herself, that's who." Pat chuckled, strumming his banjo. "She tucked your music inside the case, too. Lots of people would be jealous of you, getting favors from Marceline."

Bonnibel blanched. She didn't understand. What did he mean the scream queen? Was he referring to the rumors surrounding Marceline? Was he being sarcastic in calling her famous? She felt a bit of frustration at him bubble up in her belly, but she didn't feel up to confronting him with questions. Instead, she went back to her keyboard and spent the whole class playing with the settings.

Pulling up to the Candy Kingdom was a relief after the day Bonnibel had. She was happy to cater on the wants of children, happy to pop soda caps, happy to search for novelty shirt sizes, and happier still to spend time with Cake, and under the watchful eye of Minton. It felt good, working as a team. Minton's word, family, hung peacefully above the three of them, and Bonnibel felt content.

As had been agreed, Minton took off right at four-thirty to pick up Neddy, leaving Bonnibel and Cake to mind the store. Bonnibel liked the quiet moments after the after school crowd cleared out. Cake had plenty to teach her about the store, and Bonnibel was an eager learner, shadowing her constantly.

As the sun began to set, Bonnibel heard the door chime. She turned to greet the customer, but her hello caught in her throat at the sight of Marceline standing shocked in the doorway.

 **For reference:**

 **공주님** **Gong-ju-nim: princess (pet name)**

 **잘자** **Jal-ja: sleep well/goodnight**

 **우리 강아지** **U-ri gang-a-ji: my puppy (pet name)**

 **언니** **Eonni: older sister**


	15. Chapter 15

**Guess who has the fluuuuuu! Sorry for the late update, I literally slept all day. I'll write another chapter to make up for it, so check in later!**

 **Special thanks to MarCor3 and Denwas for their reviews! They make me smile :)**

"Wel...come?" Bonnibel said softly. Marceline stared at her for another second before spinning on her heel to leave. Bonnibel heard a small 'oof,' and Marceline moved back slightly to reveal a very short Keila who had evidently walked into her chest.

"Marcy, what..?" She moved past Marceline, and the taller girl grabbed on to her arm, hissing something at her Bonnibel couldn't hear. Whatever it had been, Keila disregarded it, pulling out of Marceline's grasp to waltz into the store.

"I don't care IF she tells on you, Marceline, I want gummy worms." Keila said sharply to Bonnibel. "Do us a favor, sweetie, keep this a secret from the administration. Marcy was home sick with a cold today, capiche?" Before Bonnibel could reply, Keila turned back go Marceline, grinning. "There. I took care of it."

Keila skipped to the gummy dispensers, grabbing a small bag off the wall and kneeling next to the bins to deliberate. Marceline huffed, stuffing her hands in her pocket and leaning on the counter as far away from Bonnibel as she could. Keila's voice cut the awkward silence.

"Hey, got any peach rings here?!" She said shrilly, her volume too high for the small store. Bonnibel crossed the counter to get to her, smelling cigarette smoke as she passed Marceline. When she kneeled by Keila, she was hit square in the face by the smell of beer.

"Right here." Bonnibel pointed to the correct bin, and Keila melted into a mess of thanking her, counting out the rings one by one before calling out again for apple rings. Cake decided to come out right then, and noticing the shape Keila was in, sat beside her to help her through her questions. Bonnibel went back to the counter, standing by Marceline.

The silence was overwhelming, and the tension between the two palpable. Bonnibel watched Marceline who watched Keila, switching between twiddling her thumbs and fiddling with something in her pocket. Mustering up her courage, Bonnibel cleared her throat.

"Who's stalking who now?" Bonnibel said quietly, and Marceline jumped at the sound of her voice. She watched Bonnibel unsurely, sighing before speaking.

"I didn't know you worked here." She said, pulling her hand out of her pocket. She'd been playing with a cigarette. It looked crumpled, and Bonnibel thought to herself she'd been stroking it for quite a while.

"I just started a few days ago." Bonnibel replied, playing with a strand of her hair. A few moments passed where they said nothing, and finally Bonnibel took a breath, looking at Marceline gravely. "I was mean to you. I'm sorry."

Marceline chuckled, slipping the cigarette back into her pocket before hoisting herself onto the counter, looking down at Bonnibel through half lidded eyes. She looked sleepy, and her clothes were unkempt. She must have been out all day instead of at school, Bonnibel thought. Still, had Keila not mentioned it, she would have never thought of telling on Marceline.

"I was a little surprised…" Marceline said, looking past Bonnibel. She swung her feet unsurely. "Don't mention it again, ok? It's cool. I…" she scratched the back of her head, tapping her heel against the counter. "Pat isn't the best teacher. I'd cling to me if I taught me an arpeggio, too."

When Marceline groaned and rubbed at her hair some more, Bonnibel imagined her face had looked as confused as she felt. Marceline tried again.

"I'm sorry I shrugged you, ok? You trusted me to teach you, and after all the work I've gotten credit for because of you, a few arpeggios should be nothing." She held up a finger. "But! Just arpeggios, and scales. The basics. Then you're on your own." Marceline avoided looking at Bonnibel, biting her lip slightly.

It felt genuine. Bonnibel felt her guilt for yelling at Marceline slowly melt away, replaced with a silent admiration for the girl. She was trying. Bonnibel knew that much. It was enough.

"Do you want anything?" Bonnibel asked suddenly, smiling at Marceline. After a few seconds, the raven haired girl grinned at her, crossing her arms.

"Hmm. Depends. Recommend something." Her playful tone of voice threw Bonnibel off, but she only took a second to get back into step. She looked Marceline over, taking in her black pants and boots, her red top, and leather jacket. Biting the inside of her cheek, she considered the candies she had in the store.

"For you? Black liquorice." Bonnibel said, and Marceline let out a deep laugh.

"Try again." She leaned back, and Bonnibel got another whiff of her. Cigarettes and alcohol, but under it, she could still detect the slightly spicy musk of her sweat.

"Jawbreakers?" Bonnibel guessed again, but Marceline shook her head.

"I thought working here made you some kind of candy connoisseur." Marceline joked. "Don't you have some kind of like, candy personality test or something?"

Bonnibel considered that idea. A quiz to gauge candy mood...it was definitely a good sales pitch. But for now, she was growing impatient with figuring out what Marceline wanted.

"Dark chocolate bark? Wax sodas? Bubblegum cigarettes? Root beer gummies?" She paused a second. "Cherry cordials?"

Marceline shook her head, her grin faltering a bit. "Nah. Nothing that dark." She chuckled, her hand stirring in her pocket around what Bonnibel assumed was the cigarette.

"Well, whatever you want, I'm sure we have it." Bonnibel said. "What do you like?"

"Candy apple." Marceline said, shrugging. Bonnibel blanched, looking her up and down.

"Th-that's not a candy!" Bonnibel spluttered. Marceline was taken aback. "That's hardly fair, asking me to recommend a candy then going for an apple!"

Marceline laughed again, and Bonnibel was starting to grow fond of the sound despite her frustration. Playful Marceline was definitely something she could get used to.

"I didn't say recommend a candy, I said recommend something. And a candy apple is closer to candy than not." Marceline said, smiling coyly. Bonnibel huffed, moving to the display. She took two red, toffee-covered apples off the tray and put them in a bag, handing it over to Marceline.

"You gave me two." Marceline observed, and Bonnibel nodded.

"One to apologize for being a jerk, and the other because we haven't sold many today and they'll go stale by tomorrow." Bonnibel said matter-of-factly.

Marceline took an apple out of the bag, looking it over as she spoke. "Your boss won't get mad?"

"It'll be alright." Bonnibel said, and Cake smiled over at her from where she sat with Keila on the floor. The corner of Marceline's mouth pulled into a slight grin.

"Kei. Come on, I'll get your candy." Marceline said, pulling her wallet out of her back pocket. She pulled a ten dollar bill out and handed it to Bonnibel.

"Marcyyyyy you're a lifesaver. I forgot my purse~" Keila laughed, standing up slowly. Marceline shook her head, leaning closer to Bonnie to show her the purse tucked inside her jacket.

"She left it, I remembered it. Typical Keila." Marceline said, and Bonnibel was simultaneously amused and happy that Marceline decided to share that snippet of information with her.

Cake helped Keila walk to her friend on wobbly legs, grinning like a fool. Cake seemed amused with the evening's interactions, and Bonnibel felt lighthearted after spending a few conflict-free minutes with Marceline. Cake handed Bonnibel the ticket, and after giving Marceline back her change, she watched Marceline gently take her friend's arm and guide her out of the candy shop.

"Come on, Kei. Let's get you home." Marceline said. Keila swung her arm over her shoulders, leaning on her heavily and sucking on a gummy foot. Bonnibel winced, but laughed to herself. Marceline could be sweet, she supposed.

When the two were gone, Cake materialized beside Bonnibel, her face grave.

"That baby couldn't have been much older than you, and she was so drunk she cried over the wrong flavor of gummy eel." Cake glanced at Bonnibel. "You talked to that girl an awfully long time. Are you involved in that sort of thing?"

Bonnibel shook her head so fast her neck cracked, and she assured Cake she'd never smoked or had a drink in her life. "Marceline is just a schoolmate, but even there we barely get along. I wouldn't do anything Minton wouldn't approve of, and underage drinking is one of those things." Bonnibel said quickly, and Cake hummed.

"I'll trust you, then." With that, the two went back to minding the store, closing up soon after.

When Bonnibel got home, Minton was watering the community garden, and they walked up to the second story together. Neddy was sitting on the top stair waiting for him, and Bonnibel was happy to be able to tuck him into bed. Before she headed next door to her own apartment, Minton pulled her aside.

"The teachers are a little concerned for Neddy." He said, shaking his head. "He won't play with the other children. He prefers to stay inside and read during recess."

Bonnibel chuckled. "That sounds like me." Minton obviously disapproved of the fondness in her voice.

"Maybe have a talk with him. So he's not all alone all the time."

Bonnibel hardly considered Neddy to be alone, but she didn't want to disappoint Minton. She promised to speak to him and then said her goodnights, going home shortly after.

When she got to bed, she heard the familiar knock on her wall, and as she drummed her fingers in a lullaby for her little brother, she meditated on her own budding friendships.


	16. Chapter 16

**As promised, another chapter! PSYCHE! 2 MORE! Making a total of 3. Enjoy~**

 **MarCor3, thanks for the good wishes! I'm drowning in orange juice!**

Bonnibel woke up a few minutes earlier than usual the next morning. The sun had yet to rise, and she could already tell the day was going to be as cold as the one before. Despite the lack of sunshine, she felt cheery. She twisted to grab her phone and shut off the alarm before it had a chance to go off, seeing the icon for a text message flashing on the screen. She smiled at the name above it and tapped it open.

 _Lady: How is gong-ju-nim feeling today?_

Bonnibel took a shallow breath. There was no heaviness in her chest, and her head felt clear. Content. She sent a happy face emoji, receiving a reply before she could finish typing out her accompanying text message.

 _Lady: We hope to really see your pretty smile today!_

Bonnibel giggled. Lady was the sweetest friend she could ever hope to make.

 _Bonnie: I think things are looking up, Lady. I'm looking forward to school today._

She felt her words were true. A day free of conflict, guilt, and any other form of unpleasantry Marceline had graced her before. Before she rose, Bonnibel tapped her good morning to Neddy through the wall, only stopping when she heard his This of a response. She laughed. Neddy hated mornings.

Bonnibel stretched and went to her dresser, taking out a fresh set of underclothes along with a pair of jeans and socks, stopping to grab a sky blue hoodie as she passed her closet on the way to the shower. When she was done with that she fixed herself a quick oatmeal breakfast and made her way downstairs to her car.

There was a spring in her step she couldn't explain as she walked to homeroom. Her thoughts roamed lazily back to Marceline from the day before. She'd seen so many new sides to the girl, and although some of those were a bit unsettling, Bonnibel felt happy to know her at all.

Marceline had a sweet tooth, and it craved the most childish treat the Candy Kingdom had to offer. Bonnibel had never been very fond of candied apples. The toffee bits stuck in her teeth, and she always ended up with the red coat all over her mouth. It stained something awful, and was always too thick and sticky to simply lick off. God forbid a drop fall on her clothes- it would never come off. And the apples were green and sour, so unlike the red delicious ones she was used to slicing up for her breakfast.

Bonnibel was one of the first to arrive to class that morning. She set her things down and went to sit beside Science's tank, absentmindedly trimming away the pieces of root and leaf the fish had eaten. Observing the little creature, Bonnibel caught flashes of iridescent orange and yellow on its fins. She was happy it was doing so well.

When she reached for its food, she noticed that behind a stack of assorted textbooks was another container beside it containing bits of dried bloodworm and cricket. Had Marceline brought this in? She waved a small bit above the tank, and from the fish's reaction, she could only assume Marceline had.

Marceline paid for Keila's gummies even though she had her purse. She helped her out of the shop, and probably was the one to take her to get candy in the first place. Bonnibel smiled. Marceline could be pretty sweet. She finished feeding Science and went back to her desk, feeling eager to see how Marceline would be today.

Except, homeroom came and went, and Marceline was nowhere to be seen. Bonnibel went to literature class with slightly less pep in her step. Maybe the girl was late?

Ten minutes after roll call, Bonnibel sat cuddled up to Lady again. The older girl stroked her hair.

"What happened to gong-ju-nim's good mood?" Lady asked gently, and Bonnibel buried her face into her belly again.

"It didn't make it to school, Lady." Bonnibel sighed, and Lady rubbed her back understandingly.

"Did any of you by chance receive any word from Marceline? Did she say she was staying home sick today?"

Bonnibel jumped at the teacher's voice being so close to them, and she sat up immediately. In her shock she hadn't heard what he said.

"I'm sorry! I promise I'm doing my work! Look, three discussion questions answered! Ask me anything about Henry IV and I'll happily answer!" Bonnibel said hurriedly. It was true, she loved Henry IV. The teacher only shook his head.

"I believe you, Bonnibel. But I'm concerned for your group mate." He motioned towards Marceline's seat, and Bonnibel felt immediately silly. "She didn't text any of you, did she?"

Bonnibel bit the inside of her cheek. Should she lie, and say Marceline had texted, saying she was sick again? The impulse was fleeting in its arrival, but she could barely justify the thought.

What if Marceline was out drinking again? What if it was something dangerous? Did not sticking up for her count as telling on her? She wasn't giving any details…

"I…" Bonnibel's voice was so low, it was drowned out by Lady's reply.

"We were supposed to exchange contact information, but after missing the first day, Marceline neither asked nor gave us hers. We do not know how to reach her at all, and I do not think she can reach us, either." Lady said. Her voice was even, free of accusation. Still, Bonnibel felt a little guilty.

She looked up at Mr. Petrikov. He was stroking his beard, looking off into the distance.

"I see…" He answered quietly. Bonnibel thought to herself that he seemed very concerned. Did the administration know something about Marceline that the students didn't? Maybe her antics from the day before had a broader basis than she thought. Her consideration for telling on Marceline grew stronger.

"Thank you for your help. I'll leave you to your work." Mr. Petrikov made to walk off, but Bonnibel stood slightly, her chair screeching behind her.

"Um!" She started, and when he looked at her, she felt her mouth go dry.

"I'm sure she's just out sick again. There's been a cold going around. We'll make sure to bring her up to speed when she gets back." Bonnibel offered, smiling. The ruffled teacher smiled slightly and gave her a small nod, going back to his desk. He looked grave.

When Bonnibel sat down, she felt uneasy. Marceline had seemed fine the day before, and even though she'd appeared to live a bit of a more reckless life, Bonnibel had a hard time believing she'd actually hurt herself enough to miss school. Partying was normal. Skipping was a teenage thing to do.

Bonnibel was unaware that her thoughts were being shadowed by the old man sitting at his desk. His worries were much, much bigger, however. How could Marceline do this to him?

He fiddled with his bracelet, rehearsing what he'd have to say to her that night. Over his glasses he caught a glimpse of the helpful girl- Bonnibel- looking out the window, distracted. He chuckled. Was she thinking about Marceline?

He took in the sight of her. She was the opposite of his charge, not only in dress, but in composure. He wished she'd rub off on Marceline a little. He was positive a girl like Bonnibel could help turn Marceline around.

Simon knew Marceline was a good kid. She just needed a little push. Mr. Petrikov shuffled through his papers, looking for one in particular.


	17. Chapter 17

**Welcome back, old chapter 5. You look different.**

It was dark by the time Marceline pulled into the driveway. She took the key out of the ignition and rested her head against the seat, taking a moment to enjoy the silence and revel in the warmth of the car. Why had she forgotten her jacket today?Bracing herself against the cold, she jumped out of the car and slammed it shut, running to the porch and fumbling with the keys only to drop them before she could unlock the door.

"Shit!" She bent to pick them up, surprised to hear the latch click before her fingers even closed around her keys. Worn leather shoes stepped into her line of vision, and she straightened out, smiling sheepishly as she spun her key ring on her fingertip, eyes fixed on the worn welcome mat she wiped her feet on. She refused to look at the person who opened the door.

"I'm home! It's cold." Marceline pushed by the thin man at the doorway, slipping out of her shoes before falling onto the couch and wrapping the throw blanket there around her shoulders.

"The sun went down two hours ago, Marceline."

She still didn't turn to him as he locked the door, humming when he sat down beside her. "I lost track of time." Marceline glanced in his direction, but to her relief, he was looking elsewhere. Still, it was difficult to keep the guilt from materializing in her fingertips. He meant well, she told herself.

The old man sighed, and immediately his disappointment weighed on her chest, spreading the guilt up her arms to her shoulders. She finally looked at him then, waiting. Would she be punished? He'd taken off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. How would he even punish her if he did?

"You smell like smoke." Simon said, his eyes tired. Marceline bit the inside of her cheek.

"I only had one." She looked away from him. She'd only had one cigarette, it wasn't a lie. Still, knowing it wasn't just tobacco she'd smoked in it weighed on her.

"Where were you, Marceline? You weren't at school today, and I know you didn't stay home sick again." Simon turned his ice blue eyes on her then, stroking the bracelet hanging loosely at his wrist as he waited for her answer. Marceline crumpled under his gaze, curling into the armrest of the couch.

She had stayed home the day before, claiming she felt feverish. In reality she simply hadn't felt like going to school. The expectations of the place had weighed down on her the last few weeks, and she'd wanted little more than a break. So she went out, and called Keila. They'd gone to the next town's shopping district, then met up with Ash and Bongo to have some drinks, rounding out their day at the Candy Kingdom per Keila's request.

She'd been home before Simon finished his administration meeting late that evening. She'd hoped to get away with the same today, but she'd stayed behind too long.

Thoughts of cozying up on the couch with Ash flashed in her mind, but she pushed them down. It had been the first time in a while, and while she should have felt happy, a quiet dread sat in her stomach like a rock.

"I went exploring." Her voice was lacking sass, she thought to herself. Still, she couldn't bring herself to badmouth the soft man.

"Alone?" His voice carried a sadness to it, and Marceline was afraid her answer was not what he wanted to hear. Still, she couldn't lie to him. Not straight out.

"No, Simon, not alone." She whispered. Simon ran his fingers through his hair.

"You weren't with that Bayard boy, were you?"

His question was almost accusing. Marceline only gave a small nod in reply, and Simon sighed softly, patting her knee. She considered the weight of his bony fingers, studying the patterns on his worn fingernails. She could feel the cold of his skin through the rips in her jeans, but the familiarity of the action felt nice despite it.

"Marceline, this...arrangement won't work if you're not willing to change a little. You arrive to school late every day, and you've already missed several classes over the past few weeks. You didn't even pick up your syllabi after cutting class on the first day of school." Marceline swore that if he didn't sound so tired, he would have scolded her properly.

But this was Simon. Simon liked her, and the Simon Marceline was used to was supposed to be smiling. She grinned at him.

"Well, I didn't pick up the syllabi because I knew I could count on my literature teacher to bring them home for me! And Simon, you didn't disappoint." She'd forgotten about the syllabi, since he hadn't scolded her then, either. She tapped his hand on her knee playfully, but he pulled away, shaking his head. He was no more cheerful than before, and Marceline couldn't help but shrink back into her seat.

Simon slipped his glasses back on, blinking down at Marceline through the grimy lenses. He shook his head slowly.

"I will no longer do such things, Marceline." He looked her square in the eyes, then rose. "I do not support this behavior. I said I'd give you space while you lived here so you could learn to handle yourself. In return, I want to know I'm able to trust you to make proper decisions." The glint in Simon's eyes was determined, and Marceline couldn't help but tense. "You can't count on me to bail you out just because I'm part of the staff, kid."

Marceline felt bad. The past two weeks she'd asked so much of Simon. He'd brought her syllabi home from all the classes she missed the first day, lying to his colleagues and telling them she was sick in the nurse's office. She'd gone through his papers after he slept and copied down the answers to his literature quizzes for class, which she was sure he was suspicious of since it was obvious she didn't do the reading. Not doing the reading also stopped her from truly engaging in class discussion with Bonnibel and the other two blonde kids. She'd shown up late to homeroom several times, and refused to go up to the board in maths. She'd even skipped PE and gone home twice in a row.

"Marceline?"

She looked to Simon in shame, nodding to indicate she'd heard him. He smiled at her thinly.

"I'm here to guide you, always, but you're on your own, now, Marceline. You get to decide whether you'll sink or swim. I won't give any more excuses on your behalf. Do you understand?"

Marceline nodded sheepishly, tugging at the loose threads of the throw around her shoulders. She watched Simon tentatively as he walked to the messy table tucked into the corner of the room and rummaged through his leather rucksack. From inside he procured a small stack of papers which he handed to Marceline.

"This is the last helping hand I'm willing to give you."

Marceline scanned the papers, seeing her own name written above neat purple cursive spelling out the name Bonnibel Brinly. The sheet was full of small facts that pertained to what she assumed were her new group mates, which she read were named Jake and Myung Hee. Beside the latter was a small note in pretty cursive that read "Lady."

Approximate heights, personality descriptions, individual answers to whatever questionnaire Simon had distributed one day...the girl was mental. Marceline looked up sharply to ask Simon just what he wanted her to do with this sheet of mini Wikipedia articles, but the look he gave her forced her mouth shut.

Simon tapped on the paper, right over a cluster of phone numbers he had circled in blue ink.

"Look that over. I expect you to cooperate in class from now on. And please, arrive to school early, or at least on time tomorrow, so you can get on track." Marceline gave him a small nod,which he returned. "Dinner is on the table, Marcy."

With a final pat to her head, Simon left Marceline to her thoughts.


	18. Chapter 18

"Just don't go."

He made it sound so easy.

Marceline lay in bed. Homeroom started in twenty minutes. If she hurried, she'd make it before it ended and be able to attend all her other classes on time.

"Simon won't cover for me anymore. He knows I'm not sick." Marceline felt upset about it. Simon hadn't gotten mad at her for skipping class, but rather for deceiving him. She'd never asked him to write in excuses for her, but she supposed he thought it was his responsibility as her guardian. A groan from the other side of the line brought her back from her musings.

"It'll be your first unexcused. No big." The gravel in his voice was so thick Marceline wondered if he'd gotten any sleep at all the night before, or had danced the night away at a club, as usual. A small pang of jealousy hit her at the thought, but she pushed it down. What he did on his time was none of her business.

"When Simon gets home he'll ask why I was absent. I'm more worried about him than the school." Marceline huffed, frustrated. Seventeen minutes to homeroom. Thirty to first. Simon was probably waiting.

"Yesterday you said he told you he didn't care anymore." Marceline rolled her eyes. He'd never said that. She didn't appreciate the tone his paraphrasing was taking. "He can't get mad at you for choosing not to go after being told it's your choice."

"Still, I…" I want to make him proud. The words got stuck in her throat, too embarrassing to utter, however true they might be.

"Come on, Mar-Mar…" The tone of his voice told her he was pouting. He really wanted her to go. "I need your help with this solo. We really want to play your set at the gig tomorrow but I can't do it without your help."

Her set?

Marceline was conflicted. She'd spent months putting together a set of music the band could call their own. Her mind flashed through countless nights pining over chords and lyrics to go with them, of working out percussion on computer simulators when she had no one to help her, of working through solos meant for her and her beautiful cherry red Gibson explorer.

Her solos.

He wanted to play them as The Cherry Blossom Wizards, without her and Keila. While the publicity for the band would be good if they could redirect it to Marcleine and The Scream Queens after this gig was up, her vision for the set had been much bigger than to debut in a grubby little cul-de-sac club. Her stomach churned.

"Pleeeeeeease, Mar-Mar. If you're not here, this is the next best thing. The band needs you." He sure knew how to into her head. Ten minutes to homeroom.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." She finally succumbed, cutting the line and getting out of bed to dress and take off to Ash's house. She felt dirty, somehow, and decided to take a shower, stopping to call Keila and ask her to meet them at lunch again that day.

"Marcy, that's three days in a row. I don't think so." Keila's low voice came through the receiver, much to Marceline's shock.

"You don't want to meet with us? They're practicing the set. I thought you'd want to help." Marceline sputtered, and Keila gasped from the other end.

"They're playing THE set? I thought that was our competition reserve! Marce, no one but you can dish out those sweet licks, what are they thinking?" Keila sounded outraged, and while her praise felt good, Marceline couldn't help but push back.

"Look, are you going to help them or not? Your boyfriend?" Marceline reminded her. Keila blew a raspberry.

"I told him I intended to graduate this year, and I'm already missing two days of afternoon classes this week alone. I'm sorry, Marcy, but I've gotta get some studying in. There's only so much I can get from borrowed notes." Keila huffed, her voice growing quieter. "School is starting. I gotta go. Wish them luck for me." With an exaggerated lip smack Marceline assumed was a kiss, the call ended.

Leave it to Keila to choose to be responsible just as Marceline was falling into the groove of doing just the opposite. Still, with class starting, it was too late to go to school. Marceline got in the shower, telling herself that in the long run, investing time in the band would always be worth it.

She arrived at Ash's house within the hour, cold from the wetness her hair had run down the back of her shirt. She punched in the garage code and walked in to find Ash, Bongo, and three other boys lounging in different states of boredom. Two of the boys- one sporting a goatee and a too-big shirt for his wiry frame was playing an intense game of Rock Paper Scissors with a shorter, heavier boy, and the third seemed to be mediating, tapping out notes on a bass. Marceline winced at the feedback the amp was giving him. His fingering was loose.

Bongo was the only one poised to practice. As soon as Marceline walked in, he straightened out at his drum set, playing her a little roll on his snare before tapping at a cymbal playfully. Marceline chuckled and offered him a wave, which he answered with a salute, bouncing playfully in his seat. He was always raring to go, and seeing him eager made Marceline want to play. The voice that called her attention made her deflate slightly, however.

"Marce, babe, you said ten minutes. It's been way longer than that." Ash was laying on a filthy looking couch, strumming a dented grey Rogue Rocketeer lazily. His silvery hair needed a wash and a touch up, and he still hadn't changed out of his pajamas. As usual, his feet were bare. He pointed the head of his guitar at Marceline, shaking his head. "Not cool, breaking your word."

Marceline moved forward, sitting on the floor by his head and offering his cheek a kiss. The stubble scratched her lips, and it was obvious he hadn't done anything fairly hygienic in several days. He smelled musky, and while Marceline had once liked it, it had definitely lost its appeal.

"I'm sorry, Ash, I got held up. I hadn't washed my hair since a few days ago, so I decided to shower." She wondered if her honesty would get the desired result. Ash sat up and stretched, his foot hovering closer and closer to her. She turned away, waiting.

"Girls and their primping. Gets in the way of being productive." Ash grunted. He walked to the amp, plugging in his guitar, and Marceline wondered what had kept them from being productive before she'd gotten there.

"Where's your Gibs?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow at Marceline's lack of instrument. Marceline laughed, shaking her head.

"Home, in his case, sleeping. I wasn't going to lug him around for practice. I figured I could use your Squier to teach you." Marceline shrugged, moving to pick up the black and white guitar. Ash scowled.

"Well, it's just, the tones on that guitar are waaay better suited for the kind of music you wrote for the set. You said so yourself you wrote it with the Explorer in mind. I thought maybe I could borrow it for the gig." Marceline's blood ran cold. She barely even let Keila touch that guitar, and she'd known her since childhood. She looked Ash in the eye, realizing he was serious.

"...I'll think about it. He hasn't gone in for a tune up in a long time." Marceline said, her voice shaky. She strummed the Squier, grinding her molars at the sight of the strings. They needed changing. She tuned the guitar quickly, only to find Ash had come to stand by her.

"Babe, please. I just want to do this music justice, and with this thing…" he motioned to the Rocketeer, looking worn from years of misuse, "...I won't be able to really communicate what you're trying to say with these songs."

Marceline thought to herself that her songs wouldn't communicate well anyway if she wasn't playing them, but she kept her mouth shut. Ash grazed his fingers across her cheek, beckoning her to look into his dark eyes. They'd been warm, once, but being so intimate with him in this moment made Marceline feel uncomfortable. He leaned in, kissing her confidently. His lips were hard against hers but she relinquished control, closing her eyes when she felt his tongue probe her mouth familiarly.

He hadn't brushed his teeth.

"Please, Marce?" Ash asked again quietly, smiling almost tenderly. He brushed his fingers against her ear and she shivered. His other arm wrung around her waist, and he curled the tips of her hair with his fingers.

Marceline kissed him again, gently, and he obliged, moving into it carefully. A small rush of warmth grew in her chest, and Marceline remembered why she liked Ash. It was moments like this she saw the real him, the him she'd come to love years ago. He cared about her, and she should care about him in return. Pulling away from the kiss, she nodded.

"Alright. You can borrow him." She said quietly, smiling. Ash's smile grew into a wide grin, and he pulled away quickly to fist pump.

"Alright! Now we're moving!" He stalked away towards his music, and while Marceline felt herself grow sad the small moment was over, she knew she shouldn't be selfish when they needed so badly to practice. She slipped the strap of the Squier over her shoulder, feeling its weight.

It was no Gibson Explorer, but any guitar felt good to Marceline. Ash played a few chords, and after plugging her own guitar in, Marceline copied him. Her sound reverberated around the room, grabbing the attention of the other band members immediately. Marceline didn't want to be conceited, but she knew she played much better than Ash. When he messed up the fingering to her solo from the get go, she sighed, wondering to herself if allowing this was a good idea.

She checked her watch. Literature was starting.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey everyone!**

 **I started this story with the intention to get back into the groove of writing, and I admit, the mojo has kind of died out these last couple of years. I'm having fun with this little project, though, and seeing the reader's stats is really nice and encouraging. Thank you for reading my story! My writing will develop along with it, I'm sure.**

 **I intend to go back to posting on a daily basis, but if I don't, please bear with me. I promise to post regularly though, several times a week, so not too bad!**

 **Thanks for reading! Please review!**

 **MarCor3 Yeah, I hate her too lol**

 **Denwas I meant it when I said slow burn~**

Practice had stretched late into the afternoon, and Marceline was frustrated and hungry. Ash made for a horrible student, questioning every suggestion she made and changing her annotations despite asking for help in the first place. When Keila joined them around four, Marceline was more than grateful for her presence.

"I'm going crazy, Keila. You need to get me out of this garage." Marceline pleaded, taking her arm and moving towards the exit. Keila pulled away.

"Nuh, Marceline, I just got here. I haven't spent any time with Bongo." Marceline groaned. Usually Marceline was happy for Keila and her thriving relationship, but at times like this she wished for little more than the time before Bongo came along. Keila frowned at her. "By the way. I ran into Petrikov today."

Marceline's nervousness from the morning came back to her in a rush, and she took Keila's hand tightly in her own. "What did he say? Was he mad?" Marceline asked desperately. If Simon was angry enough to send her messages through Keila, she must be in deep shit. Keila pulled free to rummage through her bag.

"He was pleasant, as usual. 'Hi, Keila, good to see you IN SCHOOL.'" She shot Marceline a look. He asked me to give you this. It's a weekend project or something. He told me to tell you to get in touch with your discussion group and have this questionnaire filled out by Monday." Keila sounded bored. Marceline figured she was mad at her, too, judging from the way she thrust the packet of papers out at Marceline. Keila had warned her, after all.

Marceline took the packet from her gingerly, and Keila stalked off toward Bongo. Marceline flipped through the packet. She hadn't even gotten this book yet. Simon had probably handed it out to the class earlier in the week while she was absent. She cursed silently when she noticed the score rubric attached. 150 points.

Marceline barely registered the wiry arm that wrung around her shoulders, but the wet kiss at her ear left no doubt that it was Ash.

"The guys are leaving for work soon, and I'm pretty sure Keila and Bongo will be heading to his place." Marceline shivered when his breath hit her ear, and she felt frozen in place, her body tingling like toothbrushes were washing her skin from the inside. She shivered, and Ash took it as encouragement, encircling her with his arms.

"What do you say? Wanna finish what we started last time?" Ash's hands rubbed over her shoulders, but before he could explore any further, Marceline pulled away.

"I'm really hungry. Anyone down for pizza?"

When Bongo and Keila pumped their fists in the air in agreement to go with her, Ash reluctantly retired into his house to finally change out of his pajamas. Marceline took the chance to hide her assignment in the car, wondering the whole time just how she was going to pull off working in the group.

Everyone settled on the pizza joint near school, sitting outside the shop sharing a pie. Ash hadn't offered to pay, and Marceline found herself putting in enough for both their shares. Her wallet felt significantly lighter, and she wondered if Simon would even give her allowance with the way she'd let him down lately. Ash would pay her back, she told herself. Of course he would.

The entire time they ate their meal, Marceline thought about the assignment. The fact that Simon had gone and given it to Keila to deliver meant he knew for sure Marceline was ditching to be in the band. Simon was encouraging of her music, but he'd always urged her to be more careful about who she chose to spend her time with. She looked at her friends.

Ash was being rowdy as usual, asking Bongo intimate questions about his and Keila's love life while Keila found a dozen creative ways to tell him to piss off. Bongo, bless his heart, redirected the questions away from his girlfriend.

Unfortunately, that left Marceline as the topic of choice conversation. When things started taking a turn to how she wouldn't put out, as Ash so eloquently stated, Keila excused herself and took Marceline by the arm to refill their sodas, keeping an ear open to be able to tell when Ash's conversation had fizzled out.

While they stood at the soda machine, Marceline thought over her assignment for the upteenth time. Simon had sent her instructions to get in touch with her group mates. The night before, he had given her their numbers. He was being adamant about this. A part of Marceline wondered if it was a ploy to get her to spend more time with these people. Another part of her was just seriously freaking out that she had no book and only a couple of days to finish a whole packet.

She pulled out her phone, thumbing through the three most recently saved numbers. She could start a group text, but that felt too open, too desperate. Biting her lip, she clicked on Bonnibel's name, finally mustering up the courage to type out a message

 _Marceline: Hey. A friend of mine picked up the literature homework for me. Did Petrikov hand out the book while I was absent?_

Before she could rethink it, she pressed send, stuffing her phone back into her pocket. Keila said nothing, but she looked smug. She must have read the message over Marceline's shoulder. Together, they made their way back to the table. Ash immediately hugged Marceline close, and while she appreciated the rare gesture, her nervousness from the text made her feel jittery.

Bongo stretched, patting his chubby stomach.

"Man. I could go for something sweet right about now. Wanna head up the street to the shop?" He asked, motioning in the direction of the Candy Kingdom. Marceline's jaw clenched. Keila gave a very enthusiastic yes, and with that, the crew made their way to the store.

Marceline told herself the whole way that maybe Bonnibel didn't work that day, but as soon as they walked into the shop, there she was, busy restocking fudges behind the counter. Her phone lit up from inside her apron pocket but she ignored it, and Marceline wondered if it was her message causing the flash.

"Welcome!"

Bonnibel's voice was too cheerful for the knot in Marceline's stomach, and when they made eye contact, Marceline was mortified to be waved at. She offered a small wave in return, walking back to her friends. Seeing Keila and Bongo sidled up to each other as they browsed gummies and chocolate made Marceline painfully aware of the space between her and Ash. In the presence of Bonnibel, though, she felt almost grateful for it.

Marceline walked to the counter and hoisted herself onto it again, watching her friends until she felt a small tap on her hand. She looked down to find Bonnibel pointing to her phone, and immediately she blushed.

"Did you send this with the intention to come here and steal my homework?" Bonnibel asked, smiling wryly. Marceline shook her head.

"Pure coincidence." Marceline said tartly, twiddling her thumbs, and Bonnibel hummed.

"I finished the packet yesterday." Marceline started at her, open mouthed, and Bonnibel grinned. "You can borrow the book, if you'd like."

Marceline couldn't hide her blush, and her embarrassment ached all the way down to her toes. She fidgeted, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood inside. Something clicked.

"Wait, how could you finish it on your own? I thought Petrikov assigned a group project." Marceline asked, furrowing her brow. Bonnibel smiled, and Marceline wanted to pinch it right off her face.

"Well, we're supposed to discuss the questions and answer it according to consensus, but we have to provide original answers as well." Bonnibel said matter-of-factly, and Marceline hoped she didn't look as sick as she felt. Bonnibel considered her for a second.

"We're meeting at Lady's house tomorrow. We didn't know how to contact you to let you know, but now that I've seen you, you should come. I'll text you the details later." They made eye contact again, and Bonnibel smiled at her gently. "Don't worry. You'll get it done. Bring your other homework, too."

Just then, Keila and Bongo walked up to the register, handing Bonnibel their bags to weigh. She finished ringing them up and they left the candy store to wait outside for Marceline and Ash. Before Bonnibel and Marceline could resume their conversation, Ash walked up to her, holding a candy bar in his hand. He looked Bonnibel up and down, flashing her a greasy smile before smoothing his hair back. A year ago, Marceline would have held his hand possessively. Today she was only mortified. Bonnibel scanned the candy bar without paying him any special attention.

"Will you be making any other purchases today?" Bonnibel asked, smiling tightly when she added "Perhaps something for your lady friend, or the bag of toffees in your pocket?"

Marceline was more embarrassed than surprised that Ash had tried to steal something. She was ready to leave, but as soon as Bonnibel mentioned it, Ash made a big show of taking the bag out of his pocket and placing it on the scale for Bonnibel to weigh.

"I totally forgot I was carrying those in there! Good catch, sweetheart." Ash said, leaning heavily on the counter. He was definitely bothered, but Marceline thought to herself that Bonnibel looked more so. "And for the lady, a pack of her favorite black liquorice." Ash said, smiling stupidly. Bonnibel glanced at Marceline, but she looked away, ashamed. Leave it to Ash to make her seem like a liar. She hated liquorice.

Bonnibel knew. Of course she remembered. She took the smallest pack she had- still five pieces too many- and put them in his pile of purchases.

"That will be eight-fifty." She said, her voice chilly. Ash reached for his wallet, but tapped his back pocket. Then his vest. His front pockets.

"Aw man, I forgot my wallet! You're good for it though, right, babe?" He took the toffees from the counter, unwrapping one and popping it in his mouth before Marceline even had a chance to counter him.

She sheepishly pulled her wallet from her pocket, taking the small pile of of loose bills out slowly. Three dollars. Her neck burned hot.

"Is there a problem?" The voice that spoke wasn't Bonnibel's. It was deeper, warmer. When Marceline looked up, she saw a dark woman standing at the back room entrance, dressed in creamy white, donning a ruffly orange apron and matching orange headscarf. She glared at Ash, and Marceline realized he must have a reputation at this store. Her fingers were numb.

"None, we're all good, Cake!" Bonnibel said cheerfully. "Out of ten?" She reached out across the counter and took one of Marceline's sad one dollar bills from her hand. "One fifty is your change." She held out the same dollar and two quarters, sighing audibly when Ash took the change and candy bar, leaving Marceline to carry the pathletic little packet of liquorice. Through the window, Marceline saw Ash begin to walk down the street, and Keila motioned for her to leave. The woman- Cake- must have made Ash nervous.

Before Marcleine could pick up the candy and go, Bonnibel snatched it back, pressing the stick of a candied apple into her hand and closing her fingers around it. Marceline searched her face for something, confused.

"Now you owe me. Come to Lady's house tomorrow." There was a mischievous tone in Bonnibel's voice, but Marceline found herself nodding despite it, walking out of the store in a daze.

Outside, Ash didn't even notice the treat he'd chosen for her had been substituted. Marceline was glad for it, and even happier that she didn't have to eat the bitter candy he'd chosen. She took a bite of the gifted apple.

Sweet.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys. I evolved into full on chest infection and have been sleeping it off. Sorry for my absence, I promise I still love you all~**

 **Please R &R!**

Bonnibel sat cross-legged at the foot of Lady's bed, staring at the black screen of her phone. She felt foolish expecting her invitation to actually work, and even though she'd tried to prepare herself for the disappointment, there was no fighting the defeat washing over her. She leaned her head back, studying the ceiling. It had been painted to look like a sky, adorned with fluffy clouds, offsetting the rest of the room's rainbow theme. Bonnibel sighed and closed her eyes. She wanted to mope, and the environment was making it way too hard.

"No word yet, huh?" Jake asked, walking through the door with a tray carrying a pitcher of lemonade and four cups. He put it down on the low table in the middle of the room, sitting on a cushion and pouring himself a glass. Lady followed him, setting a plate of cookies beside the lemonade. Despiren his tone. Jake didn't seem particularly concerned, but Bonnibel didn't blame him. Marceline had certainly used up her free passes.

"Ah, it's only fifteen 'til. She's probably running late. Maybe she's like my Jake, never wanting to get up before noon." Lady giggled slightly and Jake pouted, stuffing a cookie into his mouth.

"Well, whether she's running late or not coming, we've gotta get started. I have to pick up Finn from soccer at four." Jake said, checking his watch. He was eager to work without Marceline, and Bonnibel supposed her reputation for bad grades and getting into trouble definitely held more ground than Bonnibel's hopes for her change of heart. Bonnibel sighed, resigning to her fate.

She'd already finished the homework. Discussion would be easy since they'd all done it, too, so she expected they'd be done much sooner than Jake needed. Marceline hadn't even read the book yet. She'd slow them down. And the way this assignment was written, they wouldn't lose any points for excluding her, but without the group discussion portion, she'd definitely get a failing grade.

Insanity. Why anyone would be willing to throw away so many opportunities to excel academically was beyond her. She'd seen Marceline's work the few odd times the girl had decided to cooperate and participate. From what she saw, Bonnibel had no doubt that Marceline was smart. Her writing was well structured, and she was especially good at poetry. She had a knack for math, and even physics. She was a fast runner, and when she played sports, she even held her own against the boys.

Bonnibel thought back to the day in PE she'd decided to sit out. She instead watched Marceline playing basketball against the boys, taking them on one at a time. She was so lithe and quick on her feet, knocking each boy out efficiently and gracefully. She was like an assassin, cold and calculated in her movements, doing only what it took to beat them and assert that she was the best among the class.

Bonnibel remembered mapping her movements, her strategies- and though she'd felt the urge to face the taller girl in the court, she'd held back, scared to be beaten. She should have wiped the court with her.

Bonnibel looked back at the clock as her friends work, clicking her teeth in annoyance. Forty after. She probably wasn't coming. She couldn't focus fully on the work. She was fidgety, doodling aimlessly and giving only half-hearted answers. Lady finally had enough.

"Gong-ju-nim, what is the problem?" She asked, sighing deeply. "This is the first time I see Bonnie so obsessed with her cell phone." Bonnibel stuffed the phone under the table, wincing.

"I'm sorry, Lady. I guess I should just accept she's not-"

Bonnibel's phone buzzed before she could finish the sentence, making her jump. She snatched it and opened the message icon, telling herself it was probably an excuse for not being able to make it.

 _Marceline: I'm at the door...can someone come get me?_

Bonnibel smiled, clutching her phone. She looked up and without having to say anything, Lady motioned to the door, shaking her head but grinning. Bonnibel got up quickly, walking down the hall.

She felt excited, and it was obvious to her friends. When they asked her why, she said she was happy to finally have the whole group working on a project, but to herself she admitted it went deeper than that.

Marceline was a puzzle. Her behavior at the candy shop had been so different than that in school, and Bonnibel wanted to know why. And then the day before, when she'd seen Marceline interact with that boy...she'd been so resigned. And the time before that when Bonnibel had seen her with the boy, Marceline had been crying.

Bonnibel was determined to know the true Marceline. It was like a game- a 'Where's Waldo' for personalities. Bonnie would figure it out. The mystery of it all was intriguing.

She made it to the door and unlatched it. Marceline was standing on one foot, rubbing the back of her calf with the other. Her hands were shoved in the pockets of her puffy black jacket, it's collar popped to hold a red scarf securely around her neck and over her mouth. Her black pants weren't torn, for once, and her black leather boots had been substituted for red ankle-high galoshes. Tucked under her arm was a Manila folder. Bonnibel assumed it contained her homework.

Unsure of what to do, the two exchanged an awkward wave. Marceline rubbed the back of her head.

"Sorry I'm late...I had to drop something off at my boyfriend's house." Marceline said sheepishly. She looked past Bonnibel's shoulder, and the shorter girl shuffled aside to let her in out of the cold.

"Is he the guy with the bleached hair?" Bonnibel asked, feeling nosy as soon as she finished the question. She latched the door. Madeleine nodded.

"That's Ash. And you already know Keila. From the music room." Marceline looked at her accusingly, but before Bonnibel could apologize, the look faded into a half smile. "The guy with her yesterday was Bongo. That's her boyfriend. The four of us are basically the founding members of the band."

Now Marceline blanched. She was so used to socializing in a music setting that the information slipped out. She turned to Bonnibel, looking her over for a reaction. She took in the pinkness of her shirt and pants, the latter only a darker version of the former. Her socks had colorful hearts on them, and she was wearing fuzzy slippers in the shape of a unicorn head. Marceline raised an eyebrow at them.

Bonnibel felt vulnerable under Marceline's gaze, and she crossed her arms, fidgeting with the long sleeve of her shirt.

"Lady makes us take off our shoes and leave them by the door. You can hang your coat and scarf in the closet, and there's extra slippers in there." Bonnibel said. Marceline nodded, sitting on the bench by the door, which she assumed was for shoe removal. There was a shoe stand across from her littered in pastel flats and bright colored tennis shoes. Beside them was one pair of pastel pink superstar adidas. Three guesses who those belonged to.

Bonnibel moved to the closet, taking out a pair of creme-colored slippers and setting them by Marceline, who was simultaneously embarrassed for the prolonged interaction and glad she wasn't forced to wear the rainbow monstrosities on Bonnibel's feet. She slipped the slippers on, setting the galoshes by the shoe rack before standing to peel off her jacket. As she fitted her coat and scarf to the hanger Bonnibel handed her, Bonnibel couldn't help but ask.

"You're in a band? What's it called?" Bonnibel was genuinely curious. Any band Marceline was in had to be good. She didn't want to admit it, but since seeing her perform in the music room, she wanted to hear more of Marceline's playing, and definitely singing. Maybe she could find more music with the band name. Maybe it had a soundcloud.

Marceline handed back the hanger with the coat and scarf, and Bonnibel hung it in the closet, waiting. Marceline finally relented.

"The Scream Queens. We're 'Marceline and the Scream Queens." Marceline said softly. She looked embarrassed. Something clicked in Bonnibel's head.

"Mr. Ursa called you the scream queen! It makes sense now!" Marceline's gaze snapped up, but Bonnibel was already heading back to the room. "You must be really good if even a teacher knows who you are." She looked over her shoulder, and Marceline was rubbing her arm, pulling the long red sleeve up and down with her strokes.

"He probably happened to see one of our gigs. We play small time a lot. Usually in cafes or tea bars. Nothing fancy. We've done a festival or two, also." Marceline's voice sounded quiet, and Bonnibel knew she was probably selling herself short.

"Well, next time you play, let me know. I'll bring by a few new supporters." Bonnibel flashed her a thumbs up, and despite herself, Marceline smiled.

When they reached the bedroom, Marceline followed Bonnibel like a lost puppy, waving unsurely to the boy and girl in the room and introducing herself again. The four of them had spoken sparingly in class, but Bonnibel felt the environment definitely changed the dynamic.

"Here, a lemonade." Lady offered, and Marceline took the offered glass hurriedly, mumbling her thanks. She nursed the drink as Jake explained where they were in the project around mouthfuls of cookie.

"All we have to do is read the questions and answer them using textual evidence. Then we have to interpret what part it plays in the bigger scope of the story. We're pretty much done with our individual answers, so we're just discussing the questions among ourselves so we can write down any new interpretations we run into. It's pretty easy, though, considering Bonnie has written about five possible interpretations per question." Jake said smugly, tossing a cookie to Bonnibel. She caught it easily, grinning.

"Gotta be thorough." She chuckled, tossing the cookie to Marceline. She fumbled with it a little, frowning down at it before speaking.

"I haven't even started. I...I missed class on the day he handed out the book, so I'm not even sure what it's about." Marceline sighed, placing the cookie on the table. "To be honest, I'm not sure how I'm going to complete this assignment, or what I'm doing here if I can't discuss. I feel like I'm wasting your time."

Jake rolled his eyes, but Lady shook her head, which surprised Marceline. "No. This is part one of the book. There is much more to be discussed next week in class, and if we are all going to do a good job as a group, then it's our job to help you catch up so you can discuss with us." Lady handed Marceline the first page to her packet, smiling. Marceline didn't touch it.

"Isn't this freeloading? I didn't put any effort into this." Marceline asked, sighing. Jake nodded, earning himself a smack from Lady, who scolded him in Korean. He sat quietly from then on, looking like a scared child. Marceline seemed genuinely afraid of the small Asian girl, and her face flashed surprised when Bonnibel fell easily onto Lady's shoulder, earning head pets rather than the manhandling the boy had received. When Jake leaned in to kiss Lady's cheek and get back to work, Marceline's face read nothing but perplexment. What was her relationship like, Bonnibel wondered.

"You're here. That's an effort." Bonnibel said happily, leaving her spot by Lady to move closer to Marceline. She took the folder from under her arm and lay it's contents on the table, handing Marceline a mechanical pencil. "Let's get started."


	21. Chapter 21

**Looooong, just because. Please R &R! Special thanks to MarCor3 for the continuous commentary, I love it! **

**Bonus points to the weeb who can name my favorite Japanese band**

How many rainbows could a person fit into a room? Even pastel rainbows were gaudy to look at after a while. This was definitely the girliest room she'd ever been in. A rainbow clock, rainbow bedspread, rainbow cushions, colorful toys, bleh.

She fell onto the ground, groaning. When she closed her eyes, a mix of old English and rainbows pranced around her head together with Bonnibel's slippers.

"Marceline."

She groaned again, opening her eyes slowly. "What?" Her voice croaked from misuse, and she sat up, clearing her throat in embarrassment. "What?" She said again, less quietly. Bonnibel shook her head.

"It's not nap time, Marceline." Bonnibel said, tapping on the question sheet. Marceline had already finished copying everyone's answers, and had been reading Bonnibel's notes on the book alongside the actual text. Bonnibel and the others were discussing meanwhile, asking Marceline for her input on character analysis here and there. Judging from Bonnibel's smile, Marceline guessed she didn't disappoint. The process was draining still.

"Can it at least be break time? We've been at it for two hours." Marceline said, crossing her arms on the table and resting her head on them. Lady giggled.

"It's almost three. I think our discussion answers are pretty good. Let's finish the last question and then maybe get some pizza?" Lady suggested, and immediately Jake's pencil began to scribble faster.

"Let's hurry! I gotta take off to get Finn after that. You can come with if you want to, Lady, but…" Jake looked up at Bonnibel, scowling slightly. "I can drive you there too, Bonnie, but you might have to come with, too, when I pick up Finn. You didn't bring your car, did you? No time to drop you off home in between, sorry."

Bonnibel shook her head, waving her hand at him. "It's totally ok. If we go to the pizza place by the shop, I'll catch the bus."

Jake's face lit up. "Alright! Pizza for three in the Jake-mobile." He said happily. If the invitation hadn't felt extended to her before that point, Marceline definitely felt excluded in these plans, now. She fiddled with the purple pencil Bonnie had lent her, turning in surprise when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Will you come with us?" It was Bonnibel. Of course it was Bonnibel. Marceline froze, looking over at the others. Jake was absorbed in finishing the last task, reading over Lady's sheet. Lady flashed Marceline a smile.

"Um…" Marceline couldn't think up an excuse not to go. Keila, ever the groupie, was in the garage with the guys, who were preparing for the gig that night. Thinking back to the interaction she'd had with Ash that morning, Marceline wasn't eager to see them again so soon. She didn't have her fake ID anymore, and no one made it a point to invite her anyway.

Still…

Marceline didn't feel completely comfortable with these cheery people. Lady and Jake were nice enough, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Jake was suspicious of her. She had the urge to mess with him, to give him a little scare. It probably wouldn't take much- maybe just the mention of drinking, or drugs- but being here, in Lady's house...it definitely sobered the thought. The rainbow girl had been nothing but nice to Marceline. Or, at the very least, polite.

And then there was Bonnibel. She'd invited her in the first place, and after all the work they'd done today, Marceline was positive she was going to pass. If she was completely honest with herself, Simon would probably give her an A. And even if the work wasn't completely her own, Bonnibel had made sure she could defend herself during classroom discussion. It was a big favor, Marceline considered. Still.

"I…" The massive growl of her stomach seemed to answer for her. She clutched at it tightly, face flushing. She hadn't eaten breakfast, and her body burned through the lemonade and cookies much too quickly. She hated to admit how good pizza sounded.

Bonnibel snapped her fingers, laughing. "Well there, it's all settled. Let's hurry and get this all done so we can head out."

Immediately they got to work, pointing out important points of the book, and even though Marceline's input was only a blip in comparison to their analysis, a part of her was happy to participate. She was certain she wasn't going to fail.

It wasn't thirty minutes later that the four of them were at the door, pulling on warmer articles of clothing. Marceline caught Bonnibel pulling on a light pink hoodie from the corner of her eye, and slip into the adidas. She'd been right earlier she noted, chuckling.

Outside, everything was coated in water. Marceline hated the rainy season. Her body seemed incapable of storing heat, and the added wetness in the atmosphere only made her colder. It was enough to put her in a sour mood, and she shuffled her galoshes through the small puddles leading up to her little red Honda. She was glad she washed it a few days earlier- Jake's car looked like it'd driven through a mudbank. The inside didn't look much better.

Ever polite, Bonnibel made her way to the backseat, which Marceline could see was full of empty food containers and what appeared to be sports gear. Jake politely opened the door for Lady, sighing when he realized the back seat needed some rearrangement. Before she could stop herself, Marceline called out to Bonnibel.

"You can ride with me if you want to." She said, clicking her car open. Bonnibel cocked an eyebrow at her, but her mouth twisted up in a small smile. She walked to the passenger side.

As she walked, she called out loud enough for even Jake to hear, "Jealous Jake had all the girls for himself, Abadeer?"

Marceline blanched, and she felt her ears grow hot. Lady laughed as she climbed into the car, shaking her head, and Jake made a sound of surprise.

"A challenger?!" Somehow his voice sounded serious despite the playfulness of the situation. He leaned his elbows on the hood of his car, pointing at Marceline. "Think you'll take my girl, too?"

Lady spoke next, her words mixed with giggles. "Marceline DOES have a clean car. Perhaps riding with her would be nicer." Jake gasped loudly, running back to her side to close Lady's door. Her laughter was audible despite being inside.

"How dare you!" He turned back to Marceline. "Well, you can't have her! Think you can just go around stealing people's chicks? Put your driving where your mouth is!"

Marceline felt completely lost in all of this. Was he seriously challenging her to...something? She didn't know whether to be smug or intimidating, or playful, or...she settled for turning away, and her helplessness only made her blush harder.

"She didn't say anything, Jake!" Bonnibel called out, laughing. Marceline realized the girl was already sitting snugly in her car. She had a prep in her car. She heard Jake's muffled sounds of indignation.

"We'll still beat you guys there! Loser buys drinks!" Jake called, and he dove into his car. Something in the familiarity of the game finally made Marceline react, and she slammed her door shut, fumbling with her keys as she tried to stick the right one in the ignition. Bonnibel laughed.

"Calm down." She said gently, buckling her seatbelt. Marceline frowned.

"But he'll win!" Marceline countered, finally getting the car started. Jake pulled out of the driveway, sticking his tongue out at her before driving off. Marceline followed him hurriedly, jumping when she felt a hand on her own on the steering wheel. She looked at it, almost confused by the contact, but Bonnibel pulled away soon after.

"He was just kidding. Look, he's still driving speed limit." Bonnibel chuckled as they pulled up beside him at the light. Jake pulled a silly face that Bonnibel mirrored, Lady snapping pictures of both of them. Marceline felt embarrassed.

"I...sorry." Her car had been beeping at her to put on her seatbelt, and she finally obeyed. When the light turned green, she sped forward a bit, cutting Jake off, and his angry honks were enough to make her feel fulfilled. Bonnibel laughed.

"You're competitive, aren't you, Marcy?" She said, grinning over at Marceline. Marceline's chest constricted slightly at the use of the nickname.

"You called me Marcy." Marceline said, putting both hands on the wheel and digging her chin into her scarf. The car felt too warm but her fingertips were ice cold. Bonnibel made a small sound.

"I didn't think to ask. Everyone automatically calls me Bonnie, so I guess I did the same to your name. I'm sorry." Bonnibel sounded sincere. Marceline gave a small nod, whispering the name to herself. Bonnie. Bon-nie. Bonnibel had always been a mouthful. Tentatively, she licked her lips.

"It's ok, B-Bonnie." Shit. Why was she so nervous? She felt like she was in elementary school again, trying to get in with the prep girls. She stuck out her tongue slightly, biting it. Something akin to butterflies fluttered in her stomach, but given the situation, she told herself she was just hungry. Bonnibel smiled at her.

"Thanks, Marcy." Her voice was almost singsong, and Marceline suddenly had enough interacting. She turned on the radio, wincing at the music that played. Of course she'd left her CD in.

"That's not English." Bonnibel said, and Marceline quickly switched it to FM.

"Aren't you observant. Good job, brainiac." Marceline bit the inside of her cheek. She hadn't meant to say that. Bonnibel looked at her. Was she upset? Sparing the other girl a glance, she thought to herself that she didn't look upset. She was staring at her like she was trying to figure something out.

"You're embarrassed." Bonnibel said simply, and Marceline gulped.

"Shut up." She hadn't meant to say that either. Bonnibel grinned.

"So you lash out when you're embarrassed." Bonnibel said smugly. Marceline sighed. Who didn't?

"What am I, your subject for observation?" Marceline said glumly, but Bonnibel shook her head. Without asking, she switched the music back to disc.

"Is this Japanese?" She asked. Marceline should be annoyed she messed with her system without asking, but she was too mortified to care.

"Yes."

"Sounds familiar." Bonnibel said, raising the volume slightly. Marceline sighed.

"Another of this band's older songs was used as an anime opening recently. You probably heard about them that way." Marceline sighed. A preppy weeb. She was surprised when Bonnibel shook her head.

"No, this song was in a movie. About music. A sad movie." Marceline's mouth opened slightly, but she clicked it shut. She was quiet a bit before she spoke again. She knew the movie well.

"Yeah. Both the song and movie were based on a manga. It was pretty popular a while ago." Marceline said softly. "I just like the sound of them."

"Sad." Bonnibel said, sighing. "I used to listen to them a lot." So she did know them. Marceline wasn't surprised, but she didn't know what to say, either. Bonnibel broke the silence. "You're not a subject for observation." She chuckled. "But I was curious."

"About what?" Marceline saw Jake drive past them, sticking out his tongue, but she paid him no mind. Bubbline waved, but her smile was for Marceline.

"Curious how you could be so mean one minute, and semi-nice the next." Bonnibel said easily. She shrugged. "You seemed like a completely different person the last few times I saw you. Maybe it's because you were surrounded by candy." Bonnibel chuckled. "Or because you were with your friend and boyfriend. But I liked that Marceline. I wanted to see more of her."

Marceline sighed. In a way, she wanted to see more of that Marceline, too, minus the shy part. She ran her fingers through her bangs.

"I'm sorry I was mean to you, Bonnie. You really helped me out today, and like, you didn't have to." When they were stopped by a red light, she turned to Bonnibel, averting her eyes despite it. "I deserved you calling me out like that, and I owe you. For the apple, the candy, for today. How can I make it up to you?" Marceline asked quietly. The light changed and she looked away, thankful.

"Well, the nine dollars for the candy you can pay me in coffee visits. I get tired working all day." Bonnibel said, and Marceline chuckled.

"Deal."

"And for the rest...just…" Marceline noticed Bonnibel was the one averting her gaze this time. She braced herself. "Can we try to be friends?"

It wasn't what Marceline had expected, but she found herself nodding despite it. "Yes."

The air in the car felt thick and awkward for the rest of the short ride to the pizza place. When they arrived, Jake made a show of gloating he had beaten Marceline, and Marceline made it a point to try and play fight back. When Jake backed off, she figured she came on too strong, but Bonnibel put a hand on her shoulder and reassured her it was fine.

This group would take some getting used to.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Sorry for my lack of activity, I've been spending a lot of time with my family the last few days.**

 **Ive also been working on my art Instagram, pygmy_fern! Check it out~ there's some Marceline and a bit of Bonnie in there.**

 **Thank you Soupidskelli22, and as always, MarCor3 for your reviews :) I love the commentary~**

 **Enjoy!**

Bonnibel found it hard to suppress her smile. Marceline looked so lost in this setting. She sat at the very edge of her seat, hunched over her small slice of pizza. Her eyes darted around the table nervously any time she was addressed in a question or comment, and her answers had been short enough that only yes or no questions were directed her way.

She fiddled with her scarf a lot, pulling it up around her mouth between bites only to have to arrange it about her neck again after. She ran her fingers through her hair mechanically, and Bonnibel wondered if she realized her incessant grooming only served to make her hair even frizzier. Her phone lay face up on the table, her gaze fixed upon its face. She was probably waiting for someone to call her. Bonnibel smiled slightly, taking another slice of pizza and placing it on Marceline's plate. The dark haired girl looked at her quizzically.

"You have to eat more! Jake got excited and ordered two larges, there's enough to send us all home with leftovers. Don't be shy." Bonnibel said, taking another piece for herself.

"I wish you'd let me pitch in." Marceline griped. She must be embarrassed, Bonnibel realized. She made a show of shrugging.

"Jake clearly said loser buys drinks." Bonnibel said, taking another bite. Marceline scowled.

"How did that turn into 'Bonnie treats'?" Marceline said glumly. She took another bite of her own slice. Bonnibel knew she was still hungry.

"Jake treated last time we came here because I forgot my wallet. I'm just saying thank you. And if you want to pay me back that badly, you can just add this to your coffee budget." Bonnibel said, grinning. She added yet another slice to Marceline's plate, giggling when she saw the girl's obvious efforts to keep from smiling.

"So that's your plan. Inflate your account in order to score a few free coffees in the future." Marceline huffed. Bonnibel's smile twitched.

"Something like that."

Marceline didn't have time to question her before Jake spoke up.

"Hey, I think Lady and I are taking off now. Finn should be off any minute now, and you know him. Shower, nap, dinner, it'll be a miracle having time to do homework tonight." Jake sighed. He packed up most of the pizza, leaving behind a few slices for Bonnibel and Marceline to take home. "Thanks for today, kiddies. We'll see you in school on Monday!"

Lady gave Bonnibel a hug as she passed her seat. Bonnibel nuzzled her face into the girl's neck, holding on perhaps a little longer than normal judging from the look Marceline gave her when she finally pulled away. Lady smoothed down her hair, smiling. She was so warm.

"Take care, gong-ju-nim. I will call you later, yes? Tomorrow maybe." Bonnibel nodded to Lady, laughing when Jake tweaked her nose as he passed. He shot Marceline with a playful finger gun. She waved unsurely. With that, the pair climbed into Jake's car and drove away, leaving Bonnibel and Marceline sitting awkwardly at the table.

"Gongju mim?" Marceline attempted, and Bonnibel giggled.

"Gong-ju-nim. It's a Korean nickname, means something like…" Bonnibel gulped, and she felt herself die a bit inside from embarrassment. Marceline looked at her expectantly. "...princess."

Marceline was silent before breaking into a chorus of laughter, slapping the table slightly, making Bonnibel jump in her mortified tenseness. Marceline grinned widely.

"So I'm not the only one that thinks you have a self-proclaimed air of royalty about you?" Marceline teased, poking Bonnibel's arm.

She bit her cheek, fighting the smile wanting to bloom at the girl's teasing. She sighed. "Actually, she stole the nickname from you. But from her, it's more of a term of endearment. She loves me." Bonnibel said confidently, slightly embarrassed at the last admission. Did friends say that sort of thing? Marceline's laughter grew quieter, but the amusement in her tone remained.

"Evidently. She's like your mom or something. Cuddling you, checking in on you and all. How cute."

Bonnibel froze at Marceline's words. She knew it was in jest and that Marceline didn't know what she was saying. A part of her recalled what Jake had told her when they first met Marceline, and she bit back the teasing 'you're just jealous' line. They were both jealous for mothers. She welcomed Lady's doting. It was warm.

"Yes, we are very cute, we know. We have to be gentle and soft to even out the rambunctiousness of you and Jake." Bonnibel shot back lightly. Marceline's smile wavered a bit.

"It was...nice. Meeting them out of school." Marceline said softly. Bonnibel giggled.

"I'm glad you think so."

Bonnibel wasn't quite sure what to do now. She checked her phone. The bus wouldn't come for another fifteen minutes. Saturday's were always slow, so Minton was most likely home with Neddy already. She'd finished her homework, so she had time to kill. Maybe she'd go to the mall, or the bookstore. She sighed.

"Is something wrong?"

Marceline's voice caught her off guard. She turned to the other girl to find she had finished off the last of her pizza. She almost sounded concerned- a tone she fought off with violent throat clearing- and Bonnibel figured there'd be no harm in inviting her along. Then she remembered…

"I told you to bring along your other homework! Did you?" Bonnibel asked, and Marceline looked away sheepishly.

"I-I did. But we did so much today, I'll just finish it up later." Marceline said quietly. Her attempt at being polite only strengthened Bonnibel's resolve.

"Ok! We're going to the library." Bonnibel started packing up the leftover pizza in the foil Jake had brought them, Marceline staring at her openly before speaking.

"We are?"

Bonnibel nodded happily. "We're gonna finish up that homework. You've missed a lot of school, so we have lots of work to do." Her good arrangement was interrupted when she felt Marceline's cold hand catch her wrist. She looked up at her questioningly.

Marceline's face was hard to read. Her eyebrows were knitted together, her mouth pulled in a sad scowl. Her eyes seemed dark, devoid of any playfulness. It was a sad look- the closest thing Bonnibel had seen since that day at the parking lot. What had caused her mood to shift so suddenly?

"Marcy…?" Bonnibel looked down at the hand squeezing her wrist steadily, and she paced her own over it. Marceline's eyes flickered with something.

"Did Simon put you up to this?" Marceline asked, gravely. "Is he...is he paying you? To...to tutor me or whatever?" Her voice was quiet, and it quivered.

Bonnibel sat down, and Marceline moved with her seemingly without noticing, standing like a tower over Bonnibel. Tendrils of her dark hair fell around them, but she was beyond noticing. Only one thing was in Bonnibel's mind.

"Who is Simon…?" Bonnibel asked aloud, and Marceline's scowl pulled into a grimace. The name sounded familiar… "Wait, do you mean Petrikov?"

Marceline finally released her, falling back into her seat. Bonnibel's hands felt empty without Marceline's, and she balled them into the pocket of her hoodie.

"Who else? Of course it's Petrikov. It's just like him to do this." Marceline growled, looking away. Bonnibel was confused, and she didn't hesitate in saying so.

"Marcy, I don't know what you're talking about." Bonnibel said steadily. She searched Marceline's face for anything other than suspicion, but she was unsuccessful. Marceline gestured heavily with her arms, huffing loudly.

"As if though he didn't tell you everything. Of course he would. Having a pity party would only make you that much better of a teacher." Marceline's voice was venomous. Her bullying words were playful in comparison to the tone her hurt exuded.

But Bonnibel was at a loss. They'd been having a civil time. What caused the change all of a sudden? She took a deep breath, reaching out to hold Marceline's hands in place. Marceline turned to her slowly. She looked crestfallen, eyes sullen.

"Marcy, I swear, I have no idea what you're talking about. Why would a teacher pay me to tutor another student? I'm pretty sure that isn't allowed." Bonnibel said softly. Before she could stop herself, she brushed a few strands of hair from Marceline's face, tucking them behind her ear. She felt Marceline shiver at the contact and her fingertips tingled. She almost pressed her palm to the other girl's cheek, but apprehension overtook her and she pulled back. "What makes you think Petrikov would do that?"

Marceline finally seemed to listen to her. She pulled away from Bonnibel, searching her face. Her eyes weren't as clouded as before, or as heavy. Bonnibel gulped, feeling her ears grow hot as she was scrutinized. She turned away, glancing back from the corner of her eyes. She felt her hands grow cold, and she was sure they were sweaty. Those she slipped into her pocket, noting Marceline's apparent surprise at the realization they'd been touching all that time.

"He's not...you're just...are you helping me just because?" Marceline asked hurriedly. Her hands twisted small strands of her hair into untidy swirls, and a Bonnibel studied them as she nodded, her stomach fluttering without her knowing why. She hated the spotlight, she supposed.

"I thought…" She cleared her throat, the embarrassment ruining her attempt at speaking. "I thought you'd need the help is all. Missing school for so long could make it difficult to catch up. I thought…" Bonnibel could feel her neck burning under Marceline's gaze, but she persevered. "I thought maybe you needed time away from people to work on outside things. Like your relationship, or something...so coming back, it might be nice to have a little help. And you're my partner in a lot of classes. I'd hate if you did badly when I have the power to help you in class every day."

Marceline seemed back to normal. Her eyes were wide, and her fingers had stilled. Slowly, a deep blush bloomed from Marceline's cheeks, and she groaned, laying across the table to Bonnibel's surprise.

"You really are a princess. A saint. Leave it to the prep to help the fuck up." Marceline laughed lightly. Bonnibel winced.

"You're not a...fuck up."

Marceline raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't think I've ever heard you cuss. I didn't think you were capable."

Bonnibel scowled. "Damn, shit, bitch, fuck...um...tit.."

Marceline laughed loudly, waving her hand at Bonnibel. "Tit isn't a cuss word. Don't hurt yourself searching your vocabulary for impurities, it's alright. Just an observation." Her grin was lopsided, and Bonnibel couldn't help but feel happy. It was a welcome expression, Marceline's happiness. It wavered slightly when Marceline's apprehension came back, and Bonnibel prepared herself. But Marceline was soft.

"You're...you're sure Simon didn't put you up to this?" Marceline asked, and Bonnibel smiled at her, shaking her head. She was curious, but she didn't press the issue. If Marceline wanted to tell her why, she would eventually.

"He didn't. So stop worrying, and let's go to the library to finish up, yeah?" Bonnibel gathered their things, walking back to Marceline's car. She felt a little forceful, inviting herself to be driven somewhere by someone she'd just barely started getting to know, but when she heard Marceline shuffle wordlessly behind her, she felt a little better.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello! The holiday season is a super family oriented time for me, so sorry if I don't write much- I've just got a lot of birthdays and holidays to spend away from the internet. I've also just been drawing a lot more than I've been writing~**

 **But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this story! Please enjoy :)**

 **MarCor3, much more to come in your sweet little story :) thanks for reading!**

"And, done! Marceline is officially all caught up with this weekend's homework."

Marceline slumped back into her chair, pumping both of her arms in the air at hearing Bonnibel words. She yawned, twirling her wrists and wincing slightly.

"My hand is going to fall off." Marceline whined, cradling her left hand. Before she could say anything else, Bonnibel took it in her own. She squeezed each of Marceline's fingers gently, rubbing each of her knuckles and joints especially firmly. Marceline looked up from her hands to find Bonnibel smiling warmly. Her hand felt electric, and warm, soothing waves made their way down her arm. Her voice caught in her throat, and she cleared it before she could speak again.

"What are you doing?" Marceline asked, and Bonnibel shrugged lightly.

"Lady always plays with my fingers this way. I think it feels really nice, doesn't it?" Bonnibel said lightly. "Your fingers are so long." She turned Marceline's hand over to examine it, taking her right hand and doing the same. "And your fingertips are so hard."

Marceline chuckled, tapping her fingers across Bonnibel's hand.

"Guitar playing does that to you. And piano extends your reach."

When Bonnibel freed herself from the girl's grip to look over her own hands, Marceline continued squeezing her fingers under the table. She had to admit it'd felt good. Her chest fluttered slightly at the comfort it brought.

"Will my fingers get longer?" Bonnibel sighed, flexing her hands. "As it is, I can barely play arpeggios. And my reach for chords is horrible."

Marceline bit her lip slightly. "You did well on those arpeggios." When Bonnibel grinned at her praise, she huffed. "But your reach really is underdeveloped, and your chords are pretty sad." Bonnibel's face fell again, but Marceline didn't allow the feeling to linger. "It's easy to remedy, with the proper practice. I'll help you out."

Bonnibel gaped at her in disbelief, and Marceline crossed her arms. "In return for all of this...homework help. If you're keeping me from failing out of school, the least I can do is help you pass music class."

"Thank you, Marceline." Bonnibel said quietly, and Marceline stretched again, leaning her chair back to try and seem nonchalant.

"Like I said, it's just repayment." She put her homework in her folders, thinking to herself that she hadn't seen such a complete answer sheet with her name on it in a very long time. She looked out the window, surprised at how dark it was. Surely the band was playing by now.

Bonnibel smiled at her companion, gathering their things as Marceline checked her phone for the millionth time that day.

"Got somewhere to be?" Bonnibel asked. She was concerned she'd held the other girl up, and Marceline must have seen it in her face when their eyes met. The darker girl shook her head, pocketing her phone.

"No, I guess not." Marceline said, a little quietly for Bonnibel's liking. Her shoulders were hunched, making her look much smaller than usual. Bonnibel worried her lip, taking out her own phone. She blanched.

"It's nearly nine!" Bonnibel said, noting for the first time the lack of people in the library. She felt guilty suddenly, frowning. "I'm sorry, Marceline...we've missed dinner…"

Marceline chuckled, shaking her head. Dinner was the least of her worries. She shouldered her bag, standing beside Bonnibel who was still gathering her own things. She checked her phone again.

Nothing.

What was she expecting? If the band started up around this time, it'd be an hour before they finished. Then they'd probably stick around for drinks for a few hours.

A few hours of her Gibson sitting in a case in some grody back room in a bar full of drunkards… She sighed. Maybe she could pick it up later…

"Did you maybe...want to go get something to eat?" Bonnibel asked. It was hard not to hear the hopeful tone in her voice. "If you're busy, I can take the bus home and make something there. But I know for sure my guardian already ate, and I'm not sure if yours has."

Marceline raised an eyebrow at Bonnibel.

"Guardian? My guardian?" She asked, and Bonnibel fussed with her hair.

"I didn't want to assume."

Before she could say more, the librarian ushered them out into the cold. Marceline wrapped the scarf tightly around her head, hurrying through the wet to her car. When Bonnibel didn't follow, she motioned to her hurriedly, eager to get out of the cold. The two sat in the car, Marceline fiddling with the heat and letting the engine warm up. Bonnibel sat quietly, very different from her playful attitude from the rest of the day. Marceline sighed.

"Who told you? Or, like, what did they tell you?"

Bonnibel sighed. "I heard the rumors." It was a half-truth, but she didn't want to tell on Jake. For the first time since hearing about it, though, part of her felt guilty for believing him.

Marceline sighed. "So there's rumors." She rapped her head against the headrest. "Summarize it for me."

"Marceline…"

"If we're going to be friends, I want to know what you've heard about me." Marceline said quietly. "Keila won't tell me. She says I should ignore it. But how could I not be curious?"

Marceline's heart twinged. She'd accidentally hinted about Simon before, so with whatever word was spreading about her, was it possible anyone knew? She chewed her lip. Simon wouldn't hear the end of it if they did.

"Bonnie. Just a little taste, at least."

Bonnibel looked over at Marceline. Her head rested against the back of her seat, hair frizzy from the wet. Her face was red from the cold, her breath catching slightly in the air despite the heat starting to defrost the windows and warm the car. Part of her wanted to take a picture. She took a breath, leaning back herself.

"I don't know much, Marceline. You went to boarding school but got caught up with the wrong kind of kids. You and your boyfriend got into trouble shoplifting and got kicked out. Now you're here." Bonnibel said quietly. Marceline snorted.

"And my guardian?" Marceline sighed. Bonnibel shrugged audibly.

"I...I know your mother passed away. She worked at a hospital, and the accident was in the papers for a long time. Your dad works overseas." Bonnibel turned to Marceline, shrugging again. "That's all I know, Marcy. I promise."

Marceline crossed her arms over the steering wheel, resting her chin in the cradle. She closed her eyes a moment.

"And what exactly makes my past a choice topic of conversation?" Marceline said, her voice husky. Bonnibel thought a moment.

"You were not so nice. People told me you had a reputation, and not to mess with you." Bonnibel whispered, and Marceline laughed.

"Makes sense, gotta protect the prissy prin-"

"But they were wrong." Bonnibel interrupted. Marceline shut her mouth, scrunching her eyebrows together. "You may have had a hard time getting here, but you're here now. And you doing homework with me today...well, you're trying, right?" She turned to Marceline, and the girl couldn't help but look away, rubbing the top of her head.

"Wh-where…" Marceline started, meeting Bonnibel's gaze.

"Where do you propose we get dinner? My...guardian...definitely ate by now. And it's the weekend, so I'm all but expected to get home late." Marceline drove out of the library parking lot, and Bonnibel smiled slightly.

"Let's get take out. We can eat at my place." Bonnibel suggested easily, looking out the window. Marceline turned to her in surprise.

"Seriously? You're not tired of spending the day with me yet?" Marceline chuckled, turning onto the road. Bonnibel shook her head.

"I should be asking that of you. Chinese, take it or leave it." She pointed to a small restaurant on the corner, and without comment, Marceline drove into the lot.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at Bonnibel's apartment building. Marceline noted it wasn't very far from Simon's house at all. She shot him a quick text message while Bonnibel took her things out of the car, then followed closely behind her up the stairs.

The man standing on the walkway was very familiar, somehow. He squinted at them and Marceline felt her neck hairs prickle in apprehension, but Bonnibel smiled at him warmly.

"Hello, Minton. Is Neddy asleep?"

Immediately a smile erupted on the man's face, faltering only when he nodded.

"He was very tired today. This weather doesn't help much either, as you know. But he's glad to know you'll babysit- I mean, watch him- tomorrow." Minton said happily. "You're having a friend over?" Minton asked suddenly, looking around Bonnibel to wave to Marceline. She waved sheepishly in return.

"I'm looking forward to our day! I'll be over first thing. I want to take him shopping for better rain clothes." She gestured to Marceline. "This is Marceline. We spent the day studying with Lady and Jake and missed dinner, so I invited her over for late night takeout."

"Ah, I see! Well, I'll leave you to it. I'm heading to bed, the store opens early tomorrow. Goodnight, Bonnie." He nodded to Marceline. "To you too, young lady." And with that, the small man was gone.

Bonnibel unlocked her door, turning on the lights and letting Marceline in. She felt self conscious having this girl in her home, and immediately she set about tidying up the few things she had.

Marceline looked around the apartment. It was very tidy, and the ambiance was warm despite how chilly it was. Bonnibel moved to a small heater and turned it on. As soon as it began to rotate, Marceline felt better about taking off her shoes and jacket. Unlike at Lady's house, Bonnibel unceremoniously shed her shoes as she walked into the small living room, tossing her jacket onto a chair. Marceline did the same.

Bonnibel's house was composed of three main rooms, two of which were visible from the entrance. The living room had only a small sofa, a reading chair, and coffee table- all littered with books. Against the wall was a large bookshelf, completely filled with even more books. Bonnibel's small kitchenette had only three stools, with even more books resting on the countertop. A cookbook was pinned open by her tiny stove, and her fridge was covered in clippings held up by magnets.

Bonnibel sat at one of the stools, opening up their takeout boxes and putting out two plates. Marceline perused the walls from where she stood at the doorway, and although her scrutiny felt nosy, Bonnibel said nothing. Marceline finally sat down when Bonnibel placed two bottles of pop on the table, silently spooning noodles onto her plate. Marceline followed suit.

"You can ask."

Marceline took a sip of soda, turning away when she noticed Bonnibel's gaze rested on the only picture on her fridge. Marceline did her best to ignore the four happy faces there, chewing her chicken more thoroughly than necessary.

"Where are they?" Marceline's quiet voice whispered. Bonnibel smiled.

"My little brother is sleeping next door, in my godfather's apartment. I'm taking him to the mall tomorrow, to shop for better rain clothes. His favorite color is pink. It gets him bullied sometimes."

Marceline nodded, waiting. Bonnibel took her time.

"My mother and father have been gone a while. They're with your mother, maybe." Bonnibel looked away, embarrassed. That might have been the wrong thing to say. "We were taken in by my uncle, but he was….mean to Neddy. So we left him. And now I'm here. With Minton. I work at the Candy Kingdom. I'm friends with Lady, and Jake, and you." Bonnibel said it like a mantra. Marceline ate silently.

"I'm sorry. It's…" Marceline didn't know what to say, but Bonnibel shook her head.

"It's alright. I didn't tell you so that you'd feel bad. But I did want to make it clear...I don't judge you. From those rumors. I know it can be hard." Bonnibel said softly. Marceline smiled a bit at that. Understanding. It felt foreign.

"You asked me here so I would ask, didn't you?" Marceline chuckled. "Eating dinner at a near stranger's house so late at night feels strange otherwise." Marceline said. Bonnibel smiled sheepishly.

"You wouldn't have otherwise." Bonnibel admitted, and Marceline chuckled at that. "And we've met outside of school three times now. We're hardly strangers."

Marceline grinned wider. "Alright. That's fair."

They finished their meal in peace, nursing their sodas and making small talk. Marceline checked her phone a little while later, frowning slightly to herself.

"I...I have to go."

Bonnibel was surprised to hear that Marceline was leaving so suddenly, but she supposed it was getting late. She stood by the door while Marceline hurriedly put her coat and galoshes on. They faced each other awkwardly.

Bonnibel held out her arm. Did they shake hands? Wave? She felt herself grow agitated, her fingers itching with uncertainty, when Marceline presses closer suddenly in the fastest hug she'd ever felt. Bonnibel stood dumbfounded, watching after Marceline when the girl waved once and ran down the stairs, driving off not a minute later.

When she got over her initial shock, Bonnibel went back into her apartment. Walking back to her couch, a flash of red on the ground caught her attention. She picked up Marceline's scarf, testing the soft fabric between her fingers. Blushing, she wrapped it around her neck.

It smelled good.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello everyone!**

 **Thank you so much for your continued support on this story! I'm so happy to see that people are enjoying it :)**

 **MarCor3, things are developing well~ it'll be fluffy again soon.**

 **WarmthPill, thank you so much for the review! Your words have eased some of my worries about how this story is written- seeing as it's dialogue heavy and switches perspectives often within a chapter. Knowing it can still be followed and sounds natural brings me peace~**

 **Thank you to everyone who has followed me from day 1, and for you newcomers! I hope you enjoy :**

 **PSA**

 **Just a heads up, this chapter is a -little- heavier than the others in terms of content, as there's a little bit of implied abuse.**

Marceline's head was spinning as she made her way to the lounge, Keila's text chilling her to her bones. "Come to the bar ASAP" was all it said, and the possibilities for why Marcy needed to go down there were endless. Maybe Keila got caught with her fake ID. Maybe she drank too much, or Ash drank too much and got in another fight with someone. Maybe he passed out, or is crying in a drunken mess. Regardless, her stomach twinged with apprehension. This wasn't going to be fun.

When she got to the bar, all the lights were on, which was unusual. Several staff members were posted beside the bouncers at the entrance, arguing with a crowd of guests that looked like they were trying to leave.

Marceline pulled into the parking lot, seeing a single police car blocking the walkway to the back entrance. She skirted it carefully, finding Keila sitting on the step outside the door. She jogged up to the girl, relieved to see her looking ok.

"Keila! What happened?" Marceline took her friend's face in her hands, looking her over hurriedly for any bruises or scrapes. Her pupils weren't dilated, and she took Marceline's hands and brought them to her chest, looking grave.

"Marcy, don't freak out…"

Marceline immediately freaked out, her blood turning to ice in her veins. She tightened her hold on Keila's hands. What had Ash done this time?..

"Ash..?" Marceline was perplexed when Keila shook her head. She pulled Marceline down to sit beside her, chewing her lip worriedly.

"Ok, so...the gig was at nine, right? But they got here at seven to hang out and for the guys to set up. Well, the guys that were supposed to play at eight were running late, so the guys took their slot."

Marceline nodded, not understanding. Keila took a breath.

"They finished their set around nine, and went out into the bar to have some drinks. The eight o'clock people got here at that time and they played."

"What does this have to do with-"

"Marcy." The look Keila shot her was enough to shut her up. "They played their set, and they left. They didn't close the band room doors, though, accidentally, and…" Keila didn't need to finish her statement.

Marceline's eyes immediately spluttered our tears, and she shot up and towards the door, only held back by Keila hugging her about the waist.

"Marcy! It's gone, the police are checking it out, they'll find-"

"Like HELL they will! Who the fuck would stick around with a hot Gibson, Keila, FUCK!" Marceline punched the door frame, her knuckles catching on the rough wood. Keila gasped when she saw the blood and tried to pull out the splinters, but Marceline pushed her away. All of her felt numb.

"When?!" She demanded, and Keila shrugged. "When did they figure out it was missing, Keila?" She shouted again, and Keila exhaled heavily in annoyance.

"I don't know, Marceline, I wasn't here! When they took off to the venue I went home. I didn't want to get caught with a fake ID again, like, damn, and then I get a call to get down here and I figure you should know-" Keila spoke quickly, but Marceline ignored her, reaching out for her and patting around her jeans until she found her phone in her back pocket. "Marceline!"

She ignored her friend's anger, unlocking the phone and thumbing through the call log. Bongo. An hour and a half ago. She turned to Keila, hurt.

"This long? You didn't even call me right away?" She said, and Keila crossed her arms, her demeanor growing soft again. She frowned.

"We thought we could find it…" She sighed, taking her phone back. "We called the police a little while ago and they've been questioning people, but…"

Marceline groaned, rubbing her tears back into her eyes, wiping runny makeup from her fingers on her jeans. "Ash?" She asked, and Keila near flinched.

"He…" Her quietness set off a red flag in Marceline. She moved closer.

"Kei?"

Keila sighed. "He didn't want me to call you. He was sure they could find it but when they were getting nowhere, I made my own call…" Keila said quietly. "He's inside, probably still talking to the police."

Her own boyfriend didn't consider it important enough to tell her about her most prized possession going missing. He thought he could cover it up. He thought he didn't have to tell her. She felt her blood boil. He just didn't want to admit he screwed up.

Marceline turned her attentions to Keila. Poor Keila had meant well, working to find the guitar before having to panic Marcy. She'd done her best. Marceline took a deep breath to steady herself before going inside to see Ash. She moved towards Keila on her way inside, pulling her into a loose hug and kissing her cheek before pulling away.

"Thanks, Keila."

Keila nodded, gesturing to the door. Marceline walked inside without another word. What she saw there made her chest hurt.

Ash was lounging on the couch, scrolling through his phone while Bongo talked to a police officer in shushed tones nearby. They finished up quickly, and the officer tipped his hat at Marceline on the way out. When Bongo caught sight of her, he enveloped her in a soft, strong hug. He smelled spicy, and warm like Christmas candles but still undeniably masculine. She smelled something else on him- whiskey? But it wasn't unpleasant. She allowed herself a few moments in the hug, and Bongo ruffled her hair slightly when he released her and stalked into the main lounge.

Marceline stood by Ash's couch, kicking his foot lightly. His black leather boots looked clunky and violent next to her soft galoshes. And Ash- he looked nonplussed.

"Marsh! What're you doing here? The gigsh over, babe." His voice was slightly slurred, and he wobbled as he sat up.

"Where's my explorer?" She asked. Ash was drunk. He'd try to sidestep it, to cover up anyway, and she wasn't in the mood for doing it too long. "Where is he?"

Ash scoffed, scooting over on the couch and patting the spot next to him. Every move he made lifted his strong, sour smell into the air. On him she smelled cheap vodka, beer, liquorice?.. The fact he's squished so many drinks into such a small amount of time irritated her.

"Iss fiiiiine, Marshy, come, come sit by me." He patted the couch again but Marceline's patience failed her, tears streaming now as opposed to the plipping they'd shown Keila.

"No, I want to go home! With my GIBSON, Ash, where IS IT?!" She nearly yelled, and Ash was suddenly much more sober, scowling.

"D-don't-" he belched loudly, gesturing with his hands exaggeratedly as he spoke. "Don't YELL at me, Marceline!" He stood, pointing a finger at her nose. She wanted to break it.

"Where. Is. My. GUITAR." Marceline growled, shocked when Ash took her by the shoulders, shoving her into the couch. His grip was hard, digging into her flesh, but she didn't care. His face was inches from her, his horrible breath rushed and bathing her in his stench.

"I said...don't yell at me." His voice was low and gravelly, and fear tinged her stomach. He shook her once, roughly. "Understand?"

Marceline turned away, but she nodded, and he released her. The ache ran down her arms. She should have known better than to be mean to him when he was drunk. But her anger… the tears wouldn't stop.

"Please, Ash...where is he?"

Ash sat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. She didn't want him to touch her, but she held still. He shrugged.

"It'll turn up, babe, I promise." He lit a cigarette, taking a drag and putting it to Marceline's lips. Reluctantly, she took one, too.

"It won't turn up," she started, but Ash interrupted her with a swift kick of the coffee table in front of them, making her flinch. He took another drag.

"Don't call me a liar, Marcy. It'll turn up. Or I'll get you another guitar."

Marceline's gaze snapped to him, anger bubbling up in her throat. She sobbed once before biting back the rest, pulling away from Ash and standing far enough away from him that he couldn't reach her.

"I shouldn't have let you play him."

"I needed it for the SET."

"You know how important he is to me Ash I hardly ever take that guitar-"

"IT'S A GUITAR. IT HAS SIX STRINGS AND YOU STRUM IT AND IT MAKES NOISE AND YOUR BOX WAS REALLY GOOD, MARMAR, BUT IT'S GONE AND IF I CAN'T FIND IT, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO LIVE WITH GETTING A NEW ONE." Ash yelled, stomping his foot on the table repeatedly.

"You can't replace that guitar, Ash! How the fuck do you think you'll find another guitar my mom played, ASSHOLE?! YOU LOST MY MOM'S- MY MOM'S!- FIRST GUITAR! YOU FUCKING WAD!" Marceline was sobbing now.

Ash stormed at her, anger flushing his face. He raised his hand over Marceline- and caught a glimpse of Keila, standing at the door, from the corner of his eye. Her eyes were wide in shock. She'd heard them arguing and came to find her friend. He brought his hand down gently onto Marceline's shoulder, rubbing it up and down before he pulled her to him, holding her close. Ash glanced at Keila, frowning sympathetically, and satisfied, she left again. He cursed Bongo for calling her in the first place. The bitch always got involved in his and Marceline's business, and he was over it.

Marceline was stiff in Ash's arms. He'd stroked her gently at first and she'd started to relax, but his rough petting let her know he was still angry, holding her only because he was supposed to. It hurt.

Marceline pushed away from Ash, refusing to look at him as she made her way outside. She heard the soda shift as he lay back down on it.

Outside, Keila rushed to her and squeezed her, brushing her fingers through her hair and murmuring to her. Somewhere in the interaction she got a hold of Marceline's keys and worked her into the car, driving in silence to Simon's house.

Keila was thankful that he wasn't around when she walked Marceline into her room, or question her when when Keila went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. He smiled thinly at her and went back into his room. Old habits among the three of them.

She walked back into the room to find Marceline already in bed, completely cocooned in blankets. She put the water cup on her desk next to her keys, backing out slowly. In the living room, she called Bongo to come and pick her up.


End file.
